Category: M/M Romance

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Master Of Obsidian (Master Chronicles #1) by Jamie Craig

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

This is a dark erotic romance, with urban fantasy elements, set in Chicago. Jesse is a human who works for a vampire named Gideon doing private investigations. They’ve been hired to solve a murder that may tie to a dangerous new demon drug. This shows alternating points of view, but I still feel like I got to know Jesse better than Gideon, which may be a good thing.

One issue is the plot is obviously just to move them from one sex scene to another, which is a shame because there could have been something more interesting done with what is here. For instance, seeing more of their actual relationship before being thrown into their sexual relationship would have given this a more solid basis. More UST before they got together as well as any indication at all that Jesse was into pain before they have sex, would have made it less jarring. Seeing Jesse’s fantasies and revelling in Gideon’s angst to control himself would have added more depth. For me, the distressing part was no aftercare, even when Jesse had open wounds. Gideon doesn’t really treat Jesse with the care, the respect, the reader is told he has for him; not just in their personal interactions, but with the case they are working, where he doesn’t give Jesse vital information. At least that is acknowledged after the fact, it’s just that so much of this really should have been talked about before all the events that happen.

Between sex scenes, most of the information is told to the reader as a statement right before they need it, rather than being seen in flashbacks. I’m going to mention something that is not related to the plot, so it’s not a spoiler, but would turn many people off: I want readers to be aware there is a scene where Jesse gets off to Gideon’s snuff porn. This caused an issue for me: why is Jesse expecting better behavior from John, the blackest of mages, but then turns around and has no issue with Gideon’s past? I guess for those raised on a TV show with Angel and Spike, maybe this isn’t a big deal? But the reader doesn’t get to know enough of this supposedly good Gideon that is trying to save humans before being introduced to who he used to be. Then, there is the torture scene which really points out the problems with the world-building. One assumes, if the suspect were human, they would have involved the police, but since the suspect is a vampire (demon), they can do whatever they want to her? Obviously humans, mages, and vampires know about each other and coexist, but that is all the reader really knows about this world. In the end, I was left with a few steamy sex scenes and characters that are a bit twisted and not necessarily likeable. Even Jesse seemed more dangerously obsessed with Gideon rather than in love with him, enough to blur ethical lines and basically do whatever he wants as long as Jesse gets what he wants from Gideon.

I think for maximum enjoyment, this should be read as a series of sexual fantasies without a lot of expectations. Since it’s about vampires, expect a lot a blood. Also be aware this has a m/m/f scene, violence, torture, and Gideon sharing Jesse, so they are not monogamous in the traditional sense.

The cover art for my version was done by Cover Design: Written Ink Designs (written-ink.com) with image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License. It does communicate the BDSM elements, but not really the paranormal or investigative elements.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC | Amazon |

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 192 pages
Published September 25th 2019 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB07XWNT85S

An Alisa Review Wishing and Hoping by Tinnean

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Ioan Mic, the half-blood grandson of the vampyree king, is eagerly awaiting his eighteenth birthday, when he’ll finally be able to be with Daniel Small, the American vampyree he’s loved for the past four years. Although vampyrees are notoriously promiscuous, Ioan’s refused sex with all who offered — he’s willing to wait. But when Daniel arrives at the party, he’s accompanied by a wife, leaving Ioan devastated.

Shandor, a wolf shifter — he refuses to call himself a werewolf — loves the young duke, but years before, he was given the task of keeping Ioan safe, so he tucks his feelings away.

Ioan’s twin decides the two need a push and encourages them to enroll in an online dating service. Unbeknownst to either man, he sees to it their responses make them perfect for each other. Because anyone can see they are.

The problem is will Ioan and Shandor ever see that?

Alright, this was a nice story and I was glad that Ioan and Shandr were able to figure out who and what they needed.  There was A LOT of back stabbing and underhanded stuff going on and it just took away from the story for me, I can’t stand when things like that happen in books.  What I wish was that the story would have had some more to it and see Ioan and Shandor actually building a life together, not them mating and then it being over.

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is nice but I didn’t feel the visuals of the characters connect with what I saw in my head.

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 17,229 words

Published: September 25, 2019 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781646560813

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating (Lone Wolves Ranch #2) by Ardy Kelly

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

A bad bargain.

A botched bounty

A binding bite.

Adam knew bounty hunting in another pack’s territory had risks, but being at the end of a shotgun for a forced mating was not one he expected. At least it wasn’t permanent. Once he paid the promised cut of the bounty the leader of Pine Hollow would dissolve the mating. Adam just needed to keep his hands (and his teeth) away from the enticing omega.

Ricky knew nothing about the outside world, but he knew his days at Pine Hollow were numbered. The barren, widowed omega’s best chance for survival was to find a mate at Lone Wolves Ranch. Anyone would do. Anyone but the ornery wolf who bit him. Adam said he didn’t want a mate, so why was he acting like a knot-blocker?

The Alpha’s Shotgun Mating is the second book in the Lone Wolves Ranch series. It can be read as a stand-alone though secondary character’s lives continue from The Cub Club.

This is the second book in this series and while I read the previous in the series before I don’t think it was necessary to understand this book.  Man, Adam sure made it hard to like him throughout this book until he finally got himself together.  Ricky has so much to look forward to away from Pine Hollow but he doesn’t know if he will continue to have this freedom and happiness.

I loved Ricky’s excitement and joy at the new things he discovers when he leaves with Adam and his team.  And no matter the new things he finds and learns about he doesn’t embrace everything fully.  I love that he continues to use a treadle sewing machine because he feels like the electric one is too harsh or that he doesn’t prefer the overhead lights since he never had electricity before.

I loved how he flourished when Adam really accepted their connection and became successful with his sewing.  I like how open those at Lone Wolf Ranch are and look forward to seeing more of this pack in the future.

The cover art is nice, though that baby sure has a mean look on his face.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 251 pages

Published: June 30, 2019

Edition Language: English

Series: Lone Wolves Ranch #2

Join Us With a Great Author Interview and Blog Tour for The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating (Lone Wolves Ranch #2) by Ardy Kelly (giveaway and excerpt)

The Shifter's Shotgun Mating

The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating by Ardy Kelly – Interview with Author – 

Q: Where do you like to write?

I like to write at home … but home doesn’t like to leave me alone long enough to write. There is a community college library in walking distance I escape to occasionally, especially when a deadline is approaching.

The San Francisco RWA chapter sponsors two writing retreats every year, and I love doing that. Being a bit competitive, hearing my fellow members brag about their word-count inspires me to get more words on the page.

Q: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

I hate to give the impression you need to acquire something before you can write. I learned over the course of writing five books that when I’m stuck not everything that worked last time may work this time, and everything that didn’t work last time isn’t worth trying again.

Here are tools I use:

  1. A computer, a comfortable chair, a sturdy keyboard (that can take a pounding when writing gets frustrating), and a bright screen at a comfortable angle.  This is my go-to work station. The beauty of having the internet available is that I can pull up a thesaurus or research the mating habits of wolves while I’m in writing.
  2. I use Scrivener software for making the first draft because I can write individual scenes and move them easily around in my book. It’s $45, but they usually offer a discount during NaNoWriMo. It also has a “cork board” where you can outline individual scenes. I haven’t drilled down into all the bells and whistles since I only use it for the first draft before exporting it to Microsoft Word for rewrites.
  3. I have an old Alphasmart. It’s a basic keyboard from about twenty years ago schools used to teach typing. I love it because it has no internet, no games, no distractions. Nothing but simple word processing with a good sized keyboard. It runs on batteries and you can take it anywhere. A simple USB printer cable can upload what you’ve typed into any software you use for writing. They are usually $30 on eBay.
  4. Pads of paper and comfortable pens or pencils. I never wrote anything longhand until The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating.  When the words are coming quickly, I use the computer since I can type faster than I can scribble. When the words are coming, but I’m getting distracted, I use the Alphasmart. When the words are coming out at an agonizingly slow pace, I prefer to stare at a blank piece of paper than a blank computer screen (at least I can doodle). I also love the new Flexion pens that have erasable ink.  It feels more committed than pencils, without being locked into anything. Just don’t get the pages wet or leave them in a hot car or you’ll lose everything.

Q: Who has been your favorite character to write and why?’

Troy is a recurring secondary character in the Lone Wolves Ranch series. He is a paranormal romance writer who pens thinly veiled romans à clef about couples at Lone Wolves Ranch. I use his character for comic relief, playfully poking fun at my own book.

“Oh, I so want to tell your story,” is a reoccurring line for him. Then he will spend a paragraph embellishing the character’s experience with motorcycle gangs or omega auctions because “That’s what my readers want!”

Q: What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?

Currently I’m writing the third book in the Lone Wolves Ranch series. I’ve decided that it is time Sheriff Chet finds love. Since Chet isn’t a shifter (but he does have powers) it’s a bit of a departure from the first two books. The sheriff falls in love with a pregnant single man from a famous shifter family, and if everything goes as planned they’ll settle down at the ranch. I’m hoping to have it out in March, 2020 – but don’t quote me on that!

——————–

 

Ardy Kelly has a new MM mpreg romance out: “The Shotgun’s Shifter Mating.”

A bad bargain.

A botched bounty.

A binding bite.

Adam knew bounty hunting in another pack’s territory had risks, but being at the end of a shotgun for a forced mating was not one he expected. At least it wasn’t permanent. Once he paid the promised cut of the bounty the leader of Pine Hollow would dissolve the mating. Adam just needed to keep his hands (and his teeth) away from the enticing omega.

Ricky knew nothing about the outside world, but he knew his days at Pine Hollow were numbered. The barren, widowed omega’s best chance for survival was to find a mate at Lone Wolves Ranch. Anyone would do. Anyone but the ornery wolf who bit him. Adam said he didn’t want a mate, so why was he acting like a knot-blocker?

The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating is the second book in the Lone Wolves Ranch series. It can be read as a stand-alone though secondary character’s lives continue from The Cub Club.

Series Blurb:

Lone Wolves Ranch, in the California Sierras, is a gated community like no other. Home to shifters of every type, it’s the ideal place to raise a family of four-legs. And with an abundance of single, smoking-hot alphas it’s also the perfect place for male omegas to find love.

Low angst, slow burn, and with a collection of characters you won’t forget, Lone Wolves Ranch is the perfect M/M Mpreg hideaway to burrow into.

We’ll leave the gate open for you.

Publisher | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | QueeRomance Ink | Smashwords | Goodreads

Giveaway

Ardy is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:

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Excerpt

Shifter's Shotgun Mating

It was too quiet. And too dark.

Adam tried to open his eyes against the pressure of something cool and damp laid across his face. He reached up to brush it away.

A gentle hand wrapped around his wrist. “Please, let me do it.”

Not one to trust a strange voice, Adam yanked his hand free. Pulling the cloth from his head, he blinked at the candle-lit faces staring down at him before a wave of nausea struck.

Eight arms replaced the damp rag over his eyes, while a single hand pressed him back against the cushions. “You need to rest and let your body heal if you want to recover quickly.”

Rest seemed like the sensible thing to do until the queasiness passed. “Where am I?”

“You’re back at Pine Hollow. Do you remember how you got here?”

Adam tried to shake his head, but his equilibrium protested the motion. He felt hands on his forehead. Warm, soothing hands. Omega hands.

“Relax,” the voice suggested, and tension drained from Adam’s body.

Don’t let your guard down, his inner voice warned. Omegas were overly protective, especially to pups and alphas, and would insist he rest. There must be a beta in the room who would see reason. “I just need to shift and I’ll be fine.”

“You were hit with silver buckshot. You’re going to have to heal the human way. Patiently. Please, give your body time to recover.”

Gus had silver bullets? That thought alone would have propelled him out of bed, but for the hands gently preventing him from rising.

Adam took a deep breath through his nose. Yes, definitely omega. Or he was pumped up with tranquilizers and parked downwind from a bakery. When the hands pressed lightly on his shoulder, Adam relaxed back on the bed. He no longer felt the need to get up, but he hadn’t lost concern for his men. “What about my team?”

“I’ve only seen you and the obnox—the chatty one.”

That would be Tom. “Is he okay?”

“I took some silver out of his calf. Had to give him white sage for the pain. He’s sleeping now.”

White sage was catnip for shifters. That’s why I feel this way. It’s a contact high. It would explain his desire to get a good look at the sweet-smelling omega hovering around him. “I’m Adam.”

“I’m Ricky.”

Adam waited but no one else spoke. “What about the rest of you?”

“What?”

“I saw a whole medical team hovering over me.”

“Keep your eyes closed,” the voice instructed as the cloth was lifted off one eye. “Tell me how many fingers you see.”

Adam slowly lifted his eyelid. “Are you an octopus shifter? Nobody has that many fingers on one hand.”

Ricky covered Adam’s eye. “You’ve got double vision. It’s probably from the buckshot that grazed your head. I pulled all the silver out of your skin and cleansed the wounds, but we should flush out your system to speed the recovery. I want you to drink plenty of water.”

“How’s that going to work if I can’t walk to the bathroom?”

Ricky paused. “I’ll get you a jar.”

“Make it a wide-mouth one,” Adam replied.

If eye rolls made a sound, Adam was pretty sure he heard one from the omega. While Ricky fetched the water, Adam let his hands move over his body, taking an inventory. He felt gauze bandages across the left side of his scalp, and more on his left shoulder and bicep. His chest was uninjured, no doubt due to the protective vest, but his thigh had taken a few hits, dangerously close to the family jewels. If he had stood a few inches in either direction, he’d either be dead or have missed the ammo entirely.

His hands moved outward, exploring where he laid. He was on a bed big enough for two. The sheets were freshly washed, so he couldn’t scent them to be sure he was in the home of the omega tending him.

The strong odor of antiseptic on his skin made it difficult to sniff out Ricky. He needed the omega to be closer. Preferably, very close.

Ricky returned and sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped slightly, pulling the blanket tighter against his body. When their hips pressed against each other, Adam felt the warmth of his nurse through the covers.

A childhood memory came back to him. He remembered his mother sitting on his bed when he was ill. Her hands on his forehead, and the warmth of her body as she hovered over him. Focus, he told himself. You can relax when you get back to Lone Wolves Ranch.

“I put some water in an empty beer bottle. It should make it easier to drink while you’re lying down.” Ricky pressed the cool glass into Adam’s hand, and set another against his hip. “And here’s a jar if you need it. Wide mouth.”

Omegas weren’t known for sarcasm, so Adam couldn’t be sure whether Ricky was teasing him. “Thanks. Are you the pack doctor?”

“No. I told Tom I’m a healer, but the truth is I’m a nobody.”

“Are you mated?” Adam cringed at his question. Wolves weren’t known for being subtle, but that was rude even for a lupine. “Sorry, that was the head injury talking. What I meant to say was do I need to worry about being naked and alone with an unmated omega?”

Ricky stood up and the worn mattress slowly recovered its shape. “No. I was mated.”

Was mated? Is he mated now?

Before he could ask, Ricky crossed the room. “I need to leave you for a bit, to tend to Rock.”

Adam had completely forgotten about the idiot who caused this mess. “Is he okay?” It would serve him right.

There was a pause. “Rock’s dead,” was the monotone reply.

Oh, dear wolf gods. Everything has gone to hell. “I need to talk to my team. Now

Author Bio

Ardy Kelly

Ardy Kelly is the paranormal pen name for author Robyn Kelly.

I began writing in 2015 as a lark, creating the Best Laid series. That led to my discovery of the Omegaverse. A new universe requires a new name, and Ardy Kelly was born!

Author Website: https://www.robynkellyauthor.com/ardykellyauthor

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ardy.kelly.35

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

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18510291.Ardy_Kelly

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/ardy-kelly/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ardy-Kelly/e/B07J6N1HPL

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Release Blitz for A New Empire (Fog City #3) by Layla Reyne (excerpt and giveaway)

 

A New Empire by Layla Reyne

Series: Fog City #3

Publisher: Layla Reyne (Self-published)

Release Date (Print & Ebook/Audio): November 11 (Ebook & Print); Audio TBD

Length (Print & Ebook/Audio): Approx. 52,000 words

Subgenre: M/M Romantic Suspense

Warnings: Explicit sex; explicit language; violence.

All buy links or pre-order links:

http://getbook.at/ANewEmpire

https://www.amazon.com/New-Empire-Fog-City-Novel-ebook/dp/B07Z6P2944/

Book blurb:

Legacies were made to be rewritten.

Assassin Hawes Madigan wants to do right–by his family, his organization, his city, and the man he’s falling for, ATF agent Christopher Perri. But Hawes’s rules are being challenged by someone willing to kill for the old ways. To save his soul and his empire, Hawes must make an impossible decision: fight from the outside or bend the knee to win back his throne from within.

Chris is used to being the inside man, the one undercover. Now, he’s on the outside marshaling forces in support of the man and the ring of assassins he was supposed to take down. His mission shifted when he found something that’s been missing for ten long years–a home, with Hawes.

As Hawes and Chris make a dangerous play for control, the lines between allies and traitors blur. Trusting the wrong person could destroy the legacy Hawes envisions for the Madigans. But not trusting anyone, or each other, could mean lights out on their love and lives forever.

The King and King Slayer fight together in this thrilling conclusion to the Fog City Trilogy!

Release Blitz Teaser #1:

“Is that enough for you?” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Chris soothed it with his thumb. “You’re enough for me.”

“Even after the hell my family has put you through, is still putting—”

Chris silenced the rest of his words and the self-recriminations bubbling up from the floor of Hawes’s emotions. Showing him instead what this had become about for him. The lips under his, the tongue sliding against his own, the sharp, stubbled jaw beneath his palms, and the tight, hard body between his and the window.

The heart beating in time with his.

Breaking the kiss, Chris rested his forehead against Hawes’s, the other man’s face in his hands. “You made me feel at home for the first time since Ro died.”

“Dante.”

Chris smiled so wide, it hurt his face. “And then there’s that.”

“I don’t understand how, after what I did.”

“You say it like you’re lucky, like you think you still don’t deserve it.” Chris traced his thumbs through the wetness under Hawes’s eyes. Through the evidence of the assassin’s soul. “You do, baby. You make your family better, this city better, me better. And I want to make a home here, with you.”

“You hardly know me. I’ve lied—”

“So have I.” He hadn’t denied it to Hawes’s operatives, and he wouldn’t deny it to the man himself. But it wasn’t the entire story. “We’ve both lied, but the things that mattered were true.”

Release Blitz Teaser #2:

“Listen to me, Madigan.” He gritted through the pain of pulling his arm out of the towel sling, because dammit, he needed two hands for this. He framed Hawes’s face, holding his gaze, his attention, their world, steady. “The organization needs you. Your family needs you. I fucking need you.”

“Why?” Hawes choked out.

“Because I don’t just think I’m falling for you. I fell, baby, the minute I walked into Danko and saw you across the room. Your head held high, like you fucking owned the place. The second you called me Mr. Perry.” He gave him a little shake for emphasis. “I know.”

Hawes closed his eyes, and Chris’s heart skipped a beat, until they opened again, full of resolve. Of that same confidence he’d fallen for. “I fell for you that night I walked into my condo and saw the box of mooncakes. You got it; you got me. I know too.”

“Then we’ll get her,” Chris said, heart racing now. With love, and hope for the future. “And we’ll get justice for Isabella, for our families, and for us.”

“And then?”

“And then we’ll rebuild the empire, by your rules, better and stronger than ever before. Together.”

The king smiled, wicked, deadly, and fucking glorious.

Release Blitz Teaser #3:

“Where’s Rembra—” Chris didn’t finish his question. Didn’t need to. He’d swung his gaze forward and found the man he’d been searching for. Finally. Only he suspected everyone else had found him too. Dressed in combat boots, dark jeans, and a black tailored suit jacket, no shirt on underneath, Hawes slowly descended the stairs from the mezzanine. Like he wanted every set of eyes on him, like he owned the fucking place. The king in all his glory, no matter what anyone said. Top strands moussed for maximum volume, the sharp lines of his face were accentuated, as was the blue of his eyes, practically glowing in the club lights. Beautiful and dangerous, the picture of control, in his movements, his appearance, and his sway over the room.

Chris nearly choked on the need to shove his way through the crowd and meet Hawes at the bottom of the stairs, to claim the man as his, to give him the release from the control that Chris knew was costing Hawes so much when he had so little left to give. It ached—in his gut, in his chest, in his dick—to be even this far away from him.

“Stay at the bar,” Holt said, as if reading his thoughts. The surprising snap of command in his tone shocked Chris back the step he’d taken toward Hawes. “Get it together.”

Cursing, Chris drowned his instincts with the rest of his beer. “That’s not exactly discreet.”

“He’s not meant to be. He’s the distraction.”

Release Blitz Teaser #4:

“How’s that going to work?” Helena said.

“By taking a page from your favorite movie.” He retrieved two tote bags from under the table and dumped their contents onto the table—brown hair dye and matching wigs. As serious as the matter was, he couldn’t hold back a smile. This had been something he and Helena had talked about as kids. A heist they’d dreamed about pulling one day. He’d never thought it’d be his sister-in-law they were stealing, but Hawes couldn’t deny the rush that came with knowing they were actually going to do this.

Seemed Helena was feeling the same way, one side of her mouth quirking up. “We’re going to Thomas Crown this shit?”

Hawes nodded. “She’s being brought to the courthouse tomorrow morning to be arraigned on additional charges connected to the incident at MCS. We’ll make the switch while she’s in the Federal Building.”

“We have soldiers who look close enough to make the disguises work,” Rose added.

“A couple captains too,” Helena said.

Hawes’s stomach sank, the momentary rush skidding to a halt. If Helena was willing to bring the captains in on this, had Chris failed to get the message to her?

Motion at Helena’s side, the one away from Rose, caught his attention. Five fingers spread, once, twice. Five by five, a saying from Helena’s favorite Buffy character, Faith. A secret code he and Helena had picked up, and which their parents and grandparents had never caught onto. She got the message, loud and clear.

Hawes’s smile returned. “You going to play along?”

And Helena’s grin grew wider. “We’ve waited our whole lives for this. Fuck yeah, I’m in.”

The only one not smiling was Holt. Two steps closer and Hawes knelt beside his brother, hand on his knee. “She’s the mother of your child. We don’t do this without your okay.” Fuck Rose. On this, Hawes would not compromise.

“You promise to protect her?” he asked Hawes. Not Rose or Helena. That trust his twin still had in him was more of a rush than any heist they were planning to pull.

“I promise, Little H. This is all about protecting your family.”

Holt’s big mitt came down on top of his. “Our family.”

Release Blitz Q&A with Layla Reyne:

Q: Secondary Characters: Why they are important to the story?

LR: For Hawes in Fog City, his siblings, Holt and Helena, are the bricks of his foundation, along with love interest, Chris, and friend and ally, Braxton Kane. Hawes, Holt, and Helena run both family businesses with him, he trusts them implicitly, he looks to them for input, and they each contribute differently to the family unit. He wouldn’t want to do this without them.

Q: If you listen to music while writing, share your playlist.

LR: Here’s my Fog City playlist, which alternated frequently with The Revivalists albums. I swear, every one of their songs seems to fit this series!

Q: What would a love letter between the characters look like?

LR: From Hawes to Chris:

Dante, I know. –H

From Chris to Hawes.

Madigan, I know. –Mr. Perry

RITA Finalist Layla Reyne is the author of Dine With Me and the Fog City, Whiskey Verse, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. She is a RWA® RITA® Finalist in Contemporary Romance (Mid-Length) and Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

Connect with Layla:

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laylaslushes/

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AMZ: https://www.amazon.com/author/LaylaReyne

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/layla-reyne

Join us for a giveaway: Layla Reyne is giving away one Grand Prize of a Set of signed Fog City paperbacks (within the contiguous USA) or a set of Bookplates (international). Enter now!

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A MelanieM Review: He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Ren has always wanted to leave, to escape his quiet village life. He wakes up from gold-tinged dreams with his heart pounding and a yearning for something he can’t name, can’t hold. He longs to experience something magical just once in his life.

Nico’s monsters don’t lurk under the bed. They walk in daylight. They haunt him every day of his life. He’s possibly the strongest magician of his time, yet he’s trapped. All he wants is an out.

At a magical carnival in the middle of a forest, Ren and Nico collide. They’ve been on this collision course their entire lives, always hurtling toward each other. For both men, escape is now. They have no choice but to flee together. Monsters and betrayal hunt them across strange lands. They find themselves on a journey to save each other—and possibly the world. All they have is one another, Nico’s magic, and a lifetime of half-remembered dreams. But finding each other, finally having someone to rely on, might be the strongest magic of all.

He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor is a magician’s bags of surprises and narrative marvels.  Everytime you think you might have figured where the author is taking the story and character development, Taylor springs a shocker on the reader or does a storythread revelation that takes the tale and people in an entirely different direction.  And does it again and again, each taking on a darker more ominous tone.

And it all starts out so brightly, with a carnival and fires that light up the night sky and our introduction to the characters  of Ren from a nearby village and Nico from the mystical carnival.  Neither of the main characters is given much of a background, that gets slowly filled in over the course of the story.  I wasn’t sure how  I felt about that as It leaves Ren coming across as someone less layered than Nico.  This will be rectified as the power of the story builds.  Nico is all the bright magic and Ren the mundane.  That’s the beginning.

The journey, with all the many twists and turns, doesn’t end until the very last incredible sentence.  There, the author pulls together the entire story, for both boys, all the magic, all their perils.  everything into one drop dead “worth everything” conclusion.  I didn’t expect that.  I read it four times.  I would rec this story on that ending alone.

He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor is extremely well written, excellently plotted with so many twists and turns to keep the reader connected to both the story and characters.  There is amazing character growth and development, along with revelations along those lines that will continue right up until the very last sentence of this amazing story.  I highly recommend it.

Cover Art: Natasha Snow is dark, the figures nebulous.  Exactly what this story is! Perfect.

Sales Links:   NineStar Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 28th 2019 by Nine Star Press
ISBN13 9781951057671
Edition Language English

November Tidings and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 

 

November Tidings and Things Unexpected

 

So you know how you set out to do one thing but life gets in the way?  That’s how my Saturday started.  I was all set to sit down, get organized, write my Sunday blog, etc but I noticed that my smallest of furkids breathing was laboured as she trucked around the house.  Granted that everyone and their brother had their leaf blowers out and had small hurricanes of moldy leaves flying everywhere but no, something was off…more than the usual small health thing she has.   So I sat looked, listened, debated.

But not very long.  Trusted my instincts because damnit I knew what those sounds were.

Off to the vets after a hurried phone call we went.

I love my vets, they fit us right in early, the waiting room wasn’t too bad that morning, surprisingly.  Wow, I thought…we got lucky.  Our name got called and into a room we went …where we waited…and waited and waited…and  you start to wonder what’s taking so long.

Then come the conversations from the inner hallway….about the emergency that had just come in….surgeries….major punctures…skull…

I’m telling you…right there…knowing that someone’s beloved pet was fighting for their life and someone was there waiting…waiting..waiting..hoping…

It changes everything.

My vet remained in surgery, another came in to take over routine calls and my girl has bronchitis..probably from the new (and never again) mobile groomer we tried out 2 weeks ago. She’s dosed up and will be fine.  It was a long day but my thoughts continually go back to that other room, that other owner, that other pet.  I so hope with all my heart the news was good …..all went home eventually.

You just never know what a day will bring.

So tonight I’m crawling into bed with my furkids, my favorite comfort reads and my softest socks.  And maybe some hot chocolate. Or wine.  Definitely wine.  The clouds have started arriving but all the snow has stayed north so far.

Snuggles are definitely in order.

I will get organized later on.  I promise.  Today?  It’s all about perspective and hugs.  Lots of those.  And thinking about how quickly things can change.

 

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, November 10:

  • November Tidings and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, November 11:

  • Release Blitz Adore by Ella James
  • Release Blitz A New Empire (Fog City #3) by Layla Reyne
  • BLITZ Slashed and Mashed, Seven Gayly Subverted Stories by Andrew J. Peters
  • Blog Tour for The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating by Ardy Kelly
  • An Alisa Review Wishing and Hoping by Tinnean
  • An Alisa Review: The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating (Lone Wolves Ranch #2) by Ardy Kelly
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Master of Obsidian by Jaime Craig

Tuesday, November 12:

  • RELEASE BLITZ Soft Limits: A Deviations Novel by Jodi Payne
  • Release Blitz Signal – Across The Pond (Raptors #2) – RJ Scott & VL Locey
  • BLITZ Pulse of My Heart by Jessi Noelle
  • A MelanieM Review: Mastering the Flames (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #4) by SJ Himes
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audio Review: Two Man Advantage (Point Shot #1) by V.L. Locey and Sean Crisden (Narrator)
  • A MelanieM Review: The King’s Honour by JL Merrow

Wednesday, November 13:

  • Review Tour – Sally Malcolm – Twice Shy (A New Milton Novel)
  • BLITZ The Sun Still Rises by Laura Bailo
  • BLITZ Holiday Gridlock by Gretchen Evans
  • A Lucy Review:  Twice Shy (A New Milton Novel) by Sally Malcolm
  • A MelanieM Review: Counter Culture by JL Merrow
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review:Two Divided by Zero (Zero Rising #2) by Jackie Keswick

Thursday, November 14:

  • Release Blitz Unbreakable (a Heaven and Hell Club prequel) by Colette Davison
  • Release Blitz – In This Bed of Snowflakes We Lie by Sophia Soames
  • Mr. Right Now by Annabeth Albert Release Blitz,
  • A Stella Review:  In This Bed of Snowflakes We Lie by Sophia Soames
  • An Alisa Review  Înflori by A.F. Henley
  • A MelanieM Review Unbreakable (a Heaven and Hell Club prequel) by Colette Davison

Friday, November 15:

  • Release Blitz – Suki Fleet – For Sam, times infinity
  • Blog Tour Rules for Santa by Susan Hawke
  • A Stella Review Yuletide Treasure (Goddess-Blessed #3) by Eliot Grayson
  • A Melanie Review Marked Yours by Elizabeth Noble
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Earnest Ink by Alex Hall

Saturday, November 16:

  • A MelanieM Audio Review:Red Dirt Heart (Red Dirt #1) by N.R. Walker, and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

A MelanieM Review: The Necromancer’s Reckoning (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3) by S.J. Himes

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Every action has consequences.

For a decade, Angel Salvatore has been the most powerful sorcerer and only necromancer in all the Northeast. Never one to ask permission nor apologies, he has acted with near impunity for years.

Until now.

The High Council of Sorcery has come to Boston, and Angel is their target. Charged with numerous violations of practitioner laws, his freedom and family are placed in jeopardy.

If found guilty, Angel’s apprentice Daniel will be imprisoned to serve out the remaining years of his apprenticeship. Isaac, his brother, is too vulnerable to be left unguarded, and Angel fears for his sanity and health. And Simeon, Elder vampire and Angel’s mate, refuses to see Angel convicted under the laws of the Council and his actions to keep Angel free threaten to start a war that could destroy their world. And Angel faces the severest of punishments—the castration of his gifts.

The Council has never cared for the people of Boston, and Angel doubts their motives. They have come for some insidious reason, and it has nothing to do with upholding the law and everything to do with Angel.

Dealing with an impending trial, a wayward ghost, and a graverobbing ring of thieves leaves Angel on the edge. He thinks he may have a handle on things until violence erupts across the city, and a stranger comes to town…a stranger with his own dark powers of necromancy.

As The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series heads into the third story, Himes continues to layer the overall series themes and arc, deepening the complex interpersonal relationships that have been developing through books 1 and 2, and now enlarges to pull in the Council of Sorcery , a worldwide organization that enforced certain magical rules and restrictions.   Here its Angel that’s the object of the Council’s intense focus.  It’s not a good one as they intend to obtain Angel’s power, by any means possible, including a trial.

The Necromancer’s Reckoning (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3) by S.J. Himes is a tremendous story, full of great relationships, an exciting plot, and new developments that, once again move the entire arc forward in an highly suspenseful and imaginative way.  Yes, that Council was plenty scary but Angel and crew was up to the task.

Or should I say family because as I mentioned in a previous review, Angel has been gathering a found family around himself and Isaac, his younger brother. It consists of Angel’s mate, Simeon, the vampire Elder (and those associated with him), Angel’s best friend Milly, Daniel and Rory (Angel’s apprentice and an ancient fae). And of course,Eroch, the dragon.    It’s hard to describe all the many relationships in play  here, all the various aspects to each relationship that makes each so different and interesting, and a story that reaches out and grabs you with the mystery and suspense that’s incredibly powerful and entertaining.

Even as Himes is setting us up for the next story in the series (which we need immediately) , we are still absorbed here in the present and the relationships and politics that created the mess that brought the Council to Boston and all the ensuing events.  Believe me, your mind will be full of people, romance, and thrilling possibilities for the future.

I love this series and can’t wait for all the next stories in the series.  It’s just a great saga and one that will continue and one I highly recommend.

Cover Art tells a part of the story and grabs your interest.  Great job.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published May 28th 2018 by SJ Himes
ASINB07DCFM57S
Edition Language English
Series The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3
setting Boston, Massachusetts (United States)

The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series – Goodreads links

The Necromancer’s Dance

The Necromancer’s Dilemma

The Necromancer’s Reckoning

A History of Trouble

Mastering the Flames

Untitled – Daniel’s Tale coming in 2020

A Lucy Review: Yuletide Treasure (Goddess-Blessed #3) by Eliot Grayson

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5:

There’s not enough Yuletide spirit in the world to fix this holiday disaster…

Eben Sypeman’s world is falling apart. It’s two days before Yule and his business partner is dead, leaving behind empty accounts and looming bankruptcy. And if that isn’t bad enough, his patron goddess is irritated with him. It seems she’s tired of his tendency to mince words and avoid conflict. She’s insisting—quite forcefully—that he start being totally honest with everyone, including himself. Divinely enforced honesty couldn’t have come at a less opportune time, especially when his clerk’s tall, dark and distractingly handsome son enters the picture.

The last thing on Tim Pratchett’s mind is romance. All the former soldier wants is to fill in for his sick father at work and recover from his war wounds in peace. But there’s something about the grumpy Eben that confounds and entices him in equal measure. Their timing couldn’t be worse. They’re complete opposites. And yet…none of that matters when he’s with Eben.

But if Eben and Tim have any hope of finding their very own happily ever after, they’ll have to survive a dickens of a truth curse and the machinations of a trickster goddess—all while searching for enough yuletide treasure to save them all.

This is the third installment in the Goddess Blessed series and is an awesome holiday themed book with a voyeuristic Goddess thrown in for good measure!  While the book has some similiarities to A Christmas Carol, Eben is not a Scrooge – he’s at his wit’s end because his now-deceased business Marney had been embezzling from the office.  There’s no money to pay the bills, including the salary of his clerk, Bob Pratchet.   Eben has been going crazy trying to figure out what Marney did with the money.  When Bob becomes ill, Eben sends him home only to have Bob’s son, Timothy, show up to take his place.  Eben is attracted to Timothy, a former soldier injured in the war, but nothing can come of it – Eben has to find that money!

Eben’s patron Goddess, Althyone, is pretty ticked that she put her mark on Eben while he was still in the womb and yet he has never shown what he’s really made of. “You were so tiny, then, a delicate little spark, so rich with potential.”   Eben hasn’t done what is best for himself is in so long.  “You’ve bored me, Eben.  I’d hoped for those great things from you and you’ve disappointed me at every turn.  Subordinating yourself to that sour little thief Marney, allowing your wretched realtives to use us, shying away from anything that could bring you joy.  But no more.”  To “help” him along his way she puts a not-curse on him – he is unable to lie.   So rather than make excuses for himself, he is brutally honest and the best kind of snarky. .  The scene with the charity collectors is wonderful.  A nod to Christmas Carol, as well as Frank, Eben’s nephew, except here Frank is a waste of space who is always mooching off his uncle. “What a pampered, unbearable imbecile Frank was.” 

Timothy is there for Eben and wants to help him figure out what is happening with the money.  The two become close as they try to solve the mystery and the way too nosy Althyone just make me laugh.  I loved getting to see Eben make baby steps towards happiness.  “He was lonely, that was the plain truth of it, and Timothy had a warmth, a genuineness, that Eben so rarely found in others.  And he seemed to have seen something in Eben that he liked in his turn, an even greater rarity.”  He has to go through the aggravation of Althyone, of course, but it’s all worth it.

This is a wonderful series and definitely an awesome installment with a creative twist on Scrooge.

The cover, showing Eben against a background of the city, is simple but works.

Sal

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 130 pages
Published November 8th 2019 by Smoking Teacup Books
ASIN B07ZBNG4FH
Edition Language English
Series Goddess-Blessed #3

In the Spotlight: Yuletide Treasure (Goddess-Blessed #3) by Eliot Grayson

Yuletide Treasure

(Goddess-Blessed #3)

 

 

 

BLURB:

 

There’s not enough Yuletide spirit in the world to fix this holiday disaster…

Eben Sypeman’s world is falling apart. It’s two days before Yule and his business partner is dead, leaving behind empty accounts and looming bankruptcy. And if that isn’t bad enough, his patron goddess is irritated with him. It seems she’s tired of his tendency to mince words and avoid conflict. She’s insisting—quite forcefully—that he start being totally honest with everyone, including himself. Divinely enforced honesty couldn’t have come at a less opportune time, especially when his clerk’s tall, dark and distractingly handsome son enters the picture.

The last thing on Tim Pratchett’s mind is romance. All the former soldier wants is to fill in for his sick father at work and recover from his war wounds in peace. But there’s something about the grumpy Eben that confounds and entices him in equal measure. Their timing couldn’t be worse. They’re complete opposites. And yet…none of that matters when he’s with Eben.

But if Eben and Tim have any hope of finding their very own happily ever after, they’ll have to survive a dickens of a truth curse and the machinations of a trickster goddess—all while searching for enough yuletide treasure to save them all.

A joyous, relaxing Yule indeed. Bah, humbug.

This is an M/M romance with explicit scenes, a voyeuristic pagan goddess, and an odious nephew. Despite any other possible similarities to A Christmas Carol, there are neither ghosts nor geese, but readers can expect a happy ending and at least one use of the word “dickens.”

 

 

BIO:

Eliot Grayson is an editor by day and a romance writer by night, at least on a good day, and more of a procrastinator by day and despairing eater of chocolate by night when inspiration doesn’t flow and the day-job clients aren’t cooperating. Go ahead and guess which of these is more common.

A steady childhood diet of pulp science fiction, classic tales of adventure, and romance novels surreptitiously borrowed from Eliot’s grandmother eventually led to writing; Eliot picked up an M/M romance a few years ago and has been enjoying the genre as a reader and an author ever since.

LINKS:

Amazon Author Central page: https://www.amazon.com/Eliot-Grayson/e/B07NL54KNF

Website: eliotgrayson.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/eliotgrayson

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/191900890-the-alpha%27s-warlock