Category: M/M Romance

Check out the Release Blitz for Graveyard Shift (Not Dead Yet #3) by Jenn Burke (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Graveyard Shift by Jenn Burke

Series: Not Dead Yet #3
Release Date: November 4, 2019
Subgenre: LGBTQ+ Paranormal Romance

Order here:

Amazon US:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SJ7BWBD

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/graveyard-shift-13

B&N:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/graveyard-shift-jenn-burke/1131793391?ean=9781488036279

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/graveyard-shift/id1466052950

Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jenn_Burke_Graveyard_Shift?id=Af6aDwAAQBAJ

Synopsis for Graveyard Shift:

 

Ghost/god Wes Cooper and his not-life partner, vampire Hudson Rojas, have settled into cohabitation in an upscale part of Toronto. So what if their hoity-toity new neighbors haven’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for the paranormal pair? Their PI business is booming, and when a suspect they’ve been tailing winds up in the morgue, it’s alongside a rash of other shifters in apparent drug-related fatalities.

Now Wes and Hudson must connect the dots between the shifter deaths and an uptick in brutal vampire attacks across the city. Throw in a surprise visit from Hudson’s niece—who may or may not be on the run from European paranormal police (who may or may not exist)—and guardianship of a teen shifter who might be the key to solving the whole mystery (if only she could recover her memory), and Wes and Hudson have never been busier…or happier.

But when a nightmare from Hudson’s past comes back to haunt him, their weird, little found family is pushed to the brink. Mucking this up would mean Hudson and Wes missing their second chance at happily-forever-afterlife…

Release Blitz Teaser:

“Drug deal. Walter’s a dealer.”
“Huh.”
I pulled out my phone and made notes about the big man and his female bodyguard as I told Hudson what I saw. When I looked up, Walter’s car still hadn’t moved.
Strange. “I thought he was heading out the door as I left.”
“Maybe he had to make a trip to the little boys’ room. Yeah, see? There he is.”
Walter opened the passenger door and did something—we couldn’t see exactly what, since the body of the car was blocking us, but I assumed he was hiding the product. Wouldn’t do to have it sitting on the seat if he got pulled over. After a few seconds, he stood up, looked around surreptitiously, and hopped over the driver’s-side door to land behind the wheel.
“Now that’s talent,” I said. “You should practice something like that.”
“I don’t drive a convertible,” Hudson pointed out.
“The Dukes of Hazzard didn’t either.”
He didn’t say anything to that, but his lips twitched.
Walter passed us and Hudson waited until he was a few car lengths ahead before doing a U-turn to follow. We trailed him northeast on Queen Street. We were both quiet—Hudson was concentrating on not losing Walter in traffic, and I was pondering what the truth was. Embezzler? Dealer? Both? Something else?
I was still silently debating when Walter’s car suddenly picked up speed and crossed the yellow line. He barely missed an oncoming streetcar and instead plowed through a black metal fence and into the trunk of a giant maple tree. The tree’s remaining leaves showered down into the interior of the little crumpled car.
“Holy shit,” I gasped.
Hudson wove around a few cars between us and Walter’s wrecked Miata, parked in the middle of the street, and jumped out. “Call nine-one-one,” he shouted over his shoulder.
Nine-one-one. Sure. I could do that. Once my hands stopped shaking. I fumbled with my phone but finally brought up the dial pad and reported the accident. When I emerged from the car, still unsteady from the dump of adrenaline into my system, Hudson stood next to Walter’s wrecked car.
He was draping a blanket someone had handed him over our subject’s motionless body.

Release Blitz Excerpts

No sooner had I hung up with Ren than my phone buzzed again—this time with the ringtone I’d assigned to Hudson, “Axel F.” To say he wasn’t amused by it was an understatement—“I’m not Eddie Murphy, for fuck’s sake”—but that was about 80 percent of the reason I kept it. The other 20 percent was that I really liked Beverly Hills Cop.
“Hey,” I answered. “How’d the client meeting go?”
Now that Hudson and Evan, his baby vampire and junior investigative assistant, weren’t affected by sunlight anymore, thanks to regular sips of my blood—godhood had its benefits—we’d adjusted the hours of the firm to reflect their new availability. We worked late when needed, but usually most nights we wrapped things up around ten instead of after midnight. Hudson had taken to being the lead on client meetings during the day now, since Iskander’s voice was iffy thanks to a throat injury he’d suffered the year before.
“Lots of crying. Jesus.” Hudson huffed out a breath. “I mean, she knew. She told me at our first meeting she was certain he was fooling around. So I’m not sure why all the waterworks.”
“Because she knew, but she didn’t know. You know?”
“No.” I could hear the smile in his voice at the wordplay.
“You hugged her, didn’t you?”
He grunted. “Yes. Ruined another goddamned shirt.”
God, I loved this man. He could grumble and complain all he wanted, but he loved being a private investigator. It showed in the bounce of his step and the lightness in his eyes, even if he tried to maintain the gruffness that had been way more natural when he’d been a homicide detective.
“Look, I’m going to miss lunch. I got a call from Kat—she wants to meet me at the morgue.”
“Uh…” That was not where I thought this conversation would go. “Why?”
“Weird stuff.”
Of course. Hudson’s old boss, Detective Sergeant Katrina Li, brought him in on anything that seemed hinky these days. “Anything to do with our buddy from yesterday?”
“She didn’t say.”
“Okay, come get me.”
Silence came over the line. “It’s the morgue, Wes.”
“I’m dead, Hudson.”
“Yeah, but not—not dead-dead. Not morgue dead. It might be gross.”
“I can handle it.”
“Wes—”
“I can handle it. Come get me. You might be able to use my godly insights.”
Hudson made his trademark can’t react don’t react breathy-grunt noise, but I wasn’t sure if he was holding back a chuckle or a groan. Maybe both. I had that effect at times.
“Fine,” he finally said. “I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up, triumph flashing through me. Lately he’d made a real effort to show, on a regular basis, that he trusted me and my judgment. This was progress, and I was excited.
“The morgue?” Lexi bit off the last of her lollipop and crunched it. “Ready to witness an autopsy?” She smirked.
My elation faded. “He didn’t say anything about that.”
“Oh, cool. Maybe it’s not that, then.” She chucked the stick at the garbage can next to the end table and got it in. “Could be an identification request. Sometimes bodies come in so decomposed or damaged—”
“Lexi—”
“Watch out for the brains in jars.”
Yeah, that definitely wasn’t happiness in my stomach now.

 

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:
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November is National Novel Writing Month 2019 (NaNoWriMo) . This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

November is National Novel Writing Month 2019 (NaNoWriMo)

 

 Have you noticed that some of your favorite authors are a more than a bit frazzled today?  Have some been missing from their social media accounts or letting you know to expect not to hear from them for a while?  Well that’s because it’s that time again! National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo is a month-long creative writing challenge that takes place every November. During the month, participants from all over the world are challenged to write a 50,000 word first draft of a novel.

From the official site:

The rules are simple. Starting after midnight local time on November 1, writers begin drafting a new novel (or a fresh re-write of an old one). Planning and outlining beforehand are allowed and even encouraged, but continuing a current work-in-progress is not officially sanctioned by NaNoWriMo.

To win — or complete the challenge of writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days— you’ll need to write an average of 1,667 words per day. Once you’ve hit the 50,000-word mark, you can upload your novel to the NaNoWriMo website to verify your word count. No prizes are awarded, though winners are given banners and certificates to display if they chose, and winner’s t-shirts are available for purchase in the store. And of course, you’ll have a brand-new draft of a novel, and the satisfaction of knowing that you rose to the challenge — in many ways, the biggest prize of all!

Do you have to be a professional writer to participate?  No!  Anyone who wants to join in can.  So, again from the official site, are some tips:

Why should you participate in National Novel Writing Month?

Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a novel but have never found the time. Maybe you’ve tried writing novels but have never managed to finish them. Maybe you’ve written novels before but are frustrated by how long it takes you. Maybe it just sounds like a crazy, exciting challenge.

Whatever your reasons, you won’t be alone. People come to NaNoWriMo from all writing backgrounds. But perhaps the biggest driving factors are:

  • It teaches you how to get your butt in the chair, turn off your inner editor, and get the work done.
  • It shows you that finding time to write a novel is possible, with the right commitment.
  • Because you’re writing so fast, you learn about craft quickly, and will almost certainly see improvement from the beginning of your novel to the end.
  • It takes something solitary and turns it into a social event.
  • It’s a great opportunity to join (and learn from) a community of writers who are all striving to create an uber-efficient writing routine.

And speaking of writing communities, one of the great things about NaNoWriMo is that thousands of other writers have been exactly where you are — and most of them are only too happy to offer their own pearls of wisdom about how to get through the challenge.

We’ve compiled 41 great tips from both authors and editors that we hope will provide an extra gust of wind at your back, as you take off towards NaNoWriMo2019.

Tips for winning NaNoWriMo 2019

What Should You Write About?

1. To win, you must LOVE the book you’re writing

“Write the book you love, not the one you think you should write,” says Nathan Bransford, author of the Jacob Wonderbar series. “If you’re creating something you aren’t head-over-heels in love with, you’ll peter out before page 50. Make something you’ll be proud of for a lifetime.”

“Write the book you love, not the book you think you should write” @NathanBransford #NaNoWriMo

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2. Understand what people like to read

According to editor Tom Flood, you must “make sure you read contemporary publications in your genre and age target. As they say: write to the current market.”

If you’re unsure what your genre and target market are, check this post out.

3. Know your characters intimately

“Why do you want to write a really shit novel of an unsaleable length in a very short time?” asked Harry Bingham, the author of Talking to the Deadwhen we contacted him for a NaNoWriMo tip. “But if you must… make sure you know your characters. Know them intimately. Know them better than you know your husband, your wife, your child, or your best friend. Know them intimately, give them a challenge — then write like the wind.”

So everyone….happy writing, happy reading, and listening!  It’s November!  A very literary month…no matter your endeavors.

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, November 3

  • November is National Novel Writing Month 2019 (NaNoWriMo) .
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • Release Blitz & Review Tour – Sally Malcolm – Twice Shy (A New Milton Novel)

Monday, November 4:

  • Release Blitz Graveyard Shift by Jenn Burke
  • BLITZ Irises in the Snow by Isabelle Adler
  • Blog Tour Consorts of the Red King by Eden Winters
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review : First Priority (Priorities #1) by Este Holland
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Earthquakes (New Amsterdam #4) by Kelly Wyre
  • An Alisa Review: Wolf, in League (Wolf #3) by A.F. Henley

Tuesday, November 5:

  • Release Blitz – Anna Butler – Taking Shield Series
  • Release Blitz – Crossing the Line: A Dirty Angels MC/Blue Avengers MC Crossover by Jeanne St. James
  • Cover Reveal,Signal Tour – V.L. Locey – The Christmas Oaks
  • A MelanieM Review: He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor
  • An Alisa Review: Rules to Break (Davey’s Rules #2) by Susan Hawke
  • An Ashlez Review A Hive of Secrets and Spells (Cupcakes and Sorcery #2) by Ellen Jane

Wednesday, November 6:

  • Tour: White Knight by Mary Rundle
  • “Convicted” by Kim Fielding Blog Tour
  • A Lila Review: About Time by Carol Holland March
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Counter Culture by JL Merrow
  • A Lucy Review Irises in the Snow by Isabelle Adler
  • A MelanieM Review: The Necromancer’s Dilemma (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #2) by S.J. Himes

Thursday, November 7:

  • Cover Reveal Unbreakable (a Heaven and Hell Club prequel) by Colette Davison
  • Blog Post – Anna Butler – Taking Shield Series
  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway:Counter Culture by JL Merrow.
  • An Alisa Review Studying the Teacher by Sarah Hadley Brook
  • A MelanieM Review: Counter Culture by JL Merrow.
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review The Story of Us By Logan Meredith

Friday, November 8:

  • BLOG TOUR Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan
  • Release Blitz  – The Lowest Realm by Amy-Alex Campbell
  • Eliot Grayson on Yuletide Treasure (Goddess-Blessed #3)
  • A MelanieM Audio Review: Red Dirt Heart 1 by NR Walker and Joel Leslie (Narrator)
  • A Lucy Review: Yuletide Treasure (Goddess-Blessed #3) by Eliot Grayson
  • A MelanieM Review: The Necromancer’s Reckoning (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3) by S.J. Himes

Saturday, November 9:

  • A MelanieM Review: A History of Trouble (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3.5) by S.J. Himes

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Twice Shy (A New Milton Novel) by Sally Malcolm

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link – Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited
 
Length: 88,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Sally Malcolm
 

New Milton Series


Book #1 – Perfect Day – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #1.5 – Love Around The Corner – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – Between The Lines – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb
 

The last thing Joel Morgan wants is to fall in love again. Scarred by his failed marriage, Joel’s determined to keep his life emotionally stable—which means taking a job teaching fourth grade, fixing up his house on weekends, and avoiding absolutely all romantic entanglements. And he’s doing great.


Until he meets sweet but struggling single dad, Ollie Snow.


Following the tragic death of his sister and her husband two years earlier, Ollie became the legal guardian of their two young sons—much to the horror of the boys’ conservative grandparents. They think Ollie’s too young and too unreliable to raise their grandsons. So to prove them wrong, Ollie’s determined to parent the boys without anyone’s help.


Until he meets reserved but caring teacher, Joel Morgan.


As the only two men in the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, Joel and Ollie are thrown together over a series of fundraising events, and somewhere between the Beach Fun Run and the Fall Festival they fall in love. But Ollie has another reason for moving to New Milton—a reason he’s keeping close to his chest—and Joel’s wounded heart won’t trust a man with secrets.


Dare they hope for a future together, or will their past pain keep them apart forever?

Sally Malcolm was bitten by the male/male romance bug in 2016 and hasn’t looked back.


Perfect Day was her first published male/male romance, with the follow-up (Between the Lines) out later in 2018 and a dozen other ideas bubbling away on the back burner. Her stories are emotional, sweetly angsty, and always have happy endings.


Sally also writes tie-in novels for the hit TV shows Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. To date she’s penned nine novels and novellas, and four audio dramas.


She lives in South West London with her American husband, two lovely children, and two lazy cats.

 

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A MelanieM Review: The Necromancer’s Dance (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1) by S.J. Himes

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

In a world where magic is real and evil walks amongst humanity, a young sorcerer is beset upon by enemies, both old and new. Angelus Salvatore is the only necromancer in all of Boston, and his name is whispered warily by the undead and fellow sorcerers alike. He and his brother Isaac are the lone survivors of an attack by an army of the undead, in which Angel used a spell so powerful it forever marked his place in history. Now, years later, Angel struggles to balance his career as a teacher of the higher magical arts, his role as big brother, and a tenuous relationship with an Elder vampire from the local clan. When his brother’s boyfriend is used as a pawn in a mysterious plot to draw Angel out, Angel is once again pulled back into the old hostilities that fueled the Blood Wars and led to his family’s death.

Leaning on others for help is something Angel cannot do, and while he searches for clues into who may be targeting him and his brother, Angel finds his heart steadily growing occupied with Simeon, Elder and vampire. Dealing with death magic and vampires on a daily basis may leave Angel jaded when it comes to life and staying that way, but the more time he spends fending off the ancient vampire’s attention and affections, the more he realizes he wants to give in.

Can Angel find out who wants him dead, and keep his heart safe in the process? How can he fall for a vampire, when his whole family was torn apart by an army of the undead?

Death stalks the streets of Boston’s historic Beacon Hill….and there is no one more suited to battle against death than a necromancer.

I have always liked this author and stumbled into this saga by accident when Himes announced the release of Mastering the Flames, which happens to be book 4 in the Beacon Hill Sorcerers series.  I loved the way that book sounded and clearly it wasn’t a standalone so back to the beginning I went.  I am so thrilled that I did.  I just adore this sort of urban fantasy romance and having all these stories to binge read through is my idea of a fabulous time.  Especially as they turned out to be extremely well written, full of memorable characters, heartstopping romances, and, frankly couples to die tor.  This series has it all and yes, more books to come.  I’m in heaven.

So starting with the first story in the series, The Necromancer’s Dance (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1) by S.J. Himes, the author immediately sets the  tone and atmosphere for the story and series with the introduction of Angelus “Angel” Salvatore, necromancer, and one of the last two surviving members of the powerful and magical Salvatore family.  Himes’s layering, of universe building and depth of characterization, is interwoven from the first paragraphs.  The Blood Wars, the massacre, the trauma that those events have left behind on both brothers and the city they live in….it resonates through the powerful scenes and situations here.

That includes our meeting the ancient vampire Elder Simeon, a great character who only gets better as the story and series progresses.  For me, it’s the author’s relationship dynamics that grab me.  Himes pulls me into each character and shows such depth of personality as each being interacts with the others around them, whether it be a soulmate like Simeon, the deeply troubled brother Isaac, the best friend Madame or a Master of the City Constantine Baptiste or even the various City Police that seems to be out to get the remaining Salvatore brothers.  The people spark, fight, feel, and breath (or not depending upon what exactly they are here) on these pages and I absolutely love it and them.

The plot, which will be built upon story by story, starts the overall series arc, and its terrific.  Full of suspense and action, my attention never wandered, not once.  There are multiple plot threads here and the author intertwines them perfectly, romance and mystery, temporary resolution and a jumping off spot for the next story.

If you are looking for a urban fantasy story and series, look no further than SJ Himes’ The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series and The Necromancer’s Dance (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1) .  Well written, great characters, wonderful plot….it was a story I couldn’t put down and quite frankly I binge read the series and am now waiting on the next release to come out.  I love this and all the rest.  I highly recommend it.  Check them out now!

Cover art shows a pretty good representation of Angel, although I would have loved a bit more of the magical element.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 284 pages
Published February 25th 2016 by SJ Himes
Original Title The Necromancer’s Dance
ASINB01C8VW8GC
Edition Language English
Series The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1
Characters  Angelus Salvatore
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 MelanieM Review: Insatiable (Witches of the Big Easy 0.5) by Shannon West and T.S. McKinney

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

 

A Witches of the Big Easy prequel

Vampire Slayer Valen Beauchamp has an old score to settle with Julian Montague. It all started in the year 1733, when Valen narrowly survives an attack by centuries old vampire Julian Montague and even receives a minor bite when Julian’s teeth scrapes his skin before he manages to get away. The venom from the bite almost kills him, and he soon discovers that Julian is searching for him everywhere to either finish what he’d started or kill him outright. Neither option is attractive to Valen, so he flees to the New World. As time passes and he doesn’t age, however, he comes to realize that the vampire had perhaps not destroyed him, but instead cursed him with an unwanted gift—immortality.

When he learns that victims of deadly vampire attacks are dying in large numbers in Paris, Julian’s home, Valen decides he’s tired of hiding from monsters and travels back to Paris to use his formidable Slayer skills to end this thing once and for all. During a tense confrontation in the dark cellar of an opera house, Valen finds himself mesmerized, overpowered and seduced by Julian and finally succumbs to his charms. And even that wouldn’t be so bad if every vampire slayer in Europe weren’t out now to kill them both. Valen is falling deeper and deeper in love with the vampire while trying to figure out if the vampire who bit him is one of the good guys or not, and if their love will mean his ultimate damnation or his salvation.

Insatiable (Witches of the Big Easy 0.5) by Shannon West and T.S. McKinney is a prequel to the first story in the Witches of the Big Easy series and reads like one.  It’s relatively short, ends abruptly with little resolution to a major dramatic development.  And doesn’t explain some last minute major character introductions…and exits.The authors make an assumption that the readers will be automatically following them into the next story.

Not an assumption I would make unless you are a huge fan of these writers and their stories are on your TBR lists.

For myself, I found little character development or attention paid to creating much of a relationship between the main characters.  It’s all along the “found mate” trope so no need to deveope one between them.  Instant love, instant mate via bite and semen so lots of biting and sex instead of getting two people getting to know one another or actually having much depth exhibited during their scenes together.  I felt a lack missing.  Here is a young man who obsessed about being a hunter and killing the vampire who bit him over 150 earlier, seemingly having spent all those years doing relatively nothing with his life.  So what?  A poutish ignorant young man, who didn’t do research, practice with weapons or do really anything for over 150 years excerpt be immortal, than (in a huh moment) get tuberculosis (which is easily spread), decides to take himself and his disease on a ship to Europe.  Please!  SMH.

Then this untrained naif, coughing his brains out, joins a group of hunters.  Well.  I never connected, obviously, with the characters, the situations, or the writing.  More talking towards the beginning with some action happening at the end.  But there is little foundation laid for the characters, no vampire politics, or  of the hunter organization.  Its as though the authors are leaving everything for the first story and nothing here except for the story of Valen Beauchamp and Julian Montague getting together, and how they ended up in New Orleans.  But this is just too bare bones and needed much more fleshing out.

Cover art by Painted Heart works for the characters and is very dramatic.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook.127 pages
Published September 26th 2019 by Painted Hearts Publishing LLC
Edition Language English
Series Witches of the Big Easy 0.5

An Alisa Review : Nightside: An Erie Vampire Tale by V.L. Locey

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

Being a new member of the undead sect has its ups and downs, something that newly embraced Akio Lee is finding out first hand. Being able to spend eternity with his beloved Vincente, the man who introduced him to life in the nightside, is a definite up. Having to feed on strangers? That’s one of the downsides, and something that Akio is finding difficult to swallow. But what other option is there for a recently wed vampire couple who need blood to survive?

Finding a new donor perhaps? One who comes into the lifestyle willingly, as Akio had done, and is open to the unique and sensual relationship that develops when three men have a blood bond. A man who can exist in both the nightside and the dayside worlds. A man like Ian O’Keeffe, the handsome caretaker of the manse Akio and Vincente now call home? Ian seems to tick every box Akio and Vincente have—he’s comfortable around vampires, he’s obviously into men, he’s drop-dead gorgeous, he’s more than a little mischievous, and he’s human. Mostly.

But will the outgoing handyman be willing to offer two vampires his vein, his body, and his heart?

I felt like I was jumping into an existing story and I guess I kinda was but didn’t realize it.  I don’t know if much of Vincente and Akio’s relationship was in the Erie collection or not.  We jump right into Vincente and Akio’s marriage and Akio still working on embracing his life as a vampire and when they meet Ian he is quite intriguing.

I don’t know I felt like there were so many unknowns and A LOT of secrets.  It doesn’t make for a solid relationship when it seems that all Akio is doing is learning things about Vincente that he was never told.  Ian does seem like the perfect complement to both of them and makes their relationship hotter and a bit more solid.

Now, my biggest pet peeve was the whole feeding thing and how Vincente would go do that by himself and there was always the perfume and lipstick on his collar; I guess if it was talked about and agreed upon that would be different but Akio was just of the thought that it wasn’t something you mention or talk about and I think that really hurt him.  I also didn’t like how they made it sound that a bisexual lifestyle meant that you could still have sex with someone else, I’m not sure if that was what it meant to be but it sounded like it to me.

The cover art by Meredith Russell is nice and a basic picture of three men together in bed, my only issue (and I guess it’s a pet peeve of mine) is none of them have even shoulder length hair as Vincente is described as having.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 128 pages

Published: October 23, 2019

Edition Language: English

Review Tour and Giveaway for Nightside: An Erie Vampire Tale by V.L. Locey

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Cover Design: Meredith Russell


Length: 50,236 words


Erie Series


An Erie Collection – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

 
Blurb
 

Being a new member of the undead sect has its ups and downs, something that newly embraced Akio Lee is finding out first hand. Being able to spend eternity with his beloved Vincente, the man who introduced him to life in the nightside, is a definite up. Having to feed on strangers? That’s one of the downsides, and something that Akio is finding difficult to swallow. But what other option is there for a recently wed vampire couple who need blood to survive?


Finding a new donor perhaps? One who comes into the lifestyle willingly, as Akio had done, and is open to the unique and sensual relationship that develops when three men have a blood bond. A man who can exist in both the nightside and the dayside worlds. A man like Ian O’Keeffe, the handsome caretaker of the manse Akio and Vincente now call home? Ian seems to tick every box Akio and Vincente have—he’s comfortable around vampires, he’s obviously into men, he’s drop-dead gorgeous, he’s more than a little mischievous, and he’s human. Mostly.


But will the outgoing handyman be willing to offer two vampires his vein, his body, and his heart?

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, Dr. Who, Torchwood, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, two Jersey steers and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.


When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.

 

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An Ashez Review: Doctor’s Orders (Paint #3.5) by Emma Jaye

Rating : 4.5 stars out of 5

Cutting, coke, calling Nate.

All three would help the clawing anxiety caused by the upcoming trial of Alex’s father. All three would cause Dr. Cooper to rush home from his life-saving job to deal with his neurotic boyfriend.

Adding watching kink to his list of coping techniques, particularly his secret medical fetish, helps until a little voice in his head persuades Alex to try one of his fantasies.

Who knew that adult stars lie about their innocence and that acting out scenes can have horribly awkward painful consequences?
It can also lead to your dreams coming true.

Short but sweet, I had not read any of the other books I’m the series and I didn’t feel lost but it made me super curious about a few characters so I will definitely read the series.  Very steamy the entire book was a set up for a super sexy final scene.  It did have a trigger warning, I don’t think it needed one but the first line was inte

Cover – not my favourite the the paint looks pretty sweet

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 48 pages
Published September 28th 2019
ASINB07XD6KKT4
Edition Language English
Series Paint #3.5

A Lucy Review: Clueless Cabot by André D. Michaels

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Young gay professional Cabot MacCrae has been in love with his sexy best friend, Lloyd, since high school. They’re in perfect sync on almost everything. The only problem is that Lloyd is straight.

Cabot resigned himself long ago to pining hopelessly. Then Lloyd, a roofer, takes a bad fall and injures his collarbone. When he needs some TLC, there’s no question that Cabot will be the one to nurse his friend back to health. But Lloyd’s scantily clad presence in Cabot’s house brings out Cabot’s old longings.

But when Lloyd’s well-meaning mother and aunt fix Cabot up with a blind date, Lloyd reacts like a jealous boyfriend. Lloyd’s reaction makes Cabot wonder if those longings are as unrequited as he’s always assumed. What if Lloyd has been pining for him all these years? Has Cabot just been clueless all along?

Cabot and Lloyd are as close as two people who are not a couple can be.  They have been besties since they were preteens and have only grown closer as the years pass.  Cabot is another son to Lloyd’s family and the two grew up spending the nights at one house or the other.  Now 28, Lloyd has fallen out of a window and broken some bones.  He needs someone to take care of him and who else but Cabot?

Cabot has been unlucky in lust, let alone love.  He’s tried but no one really hits his buttons and those who he is even slightly interested in don’t seem interested in him.  Lloyd, however, is a chick magnet and is always showing Cabot who he’s been seeing.

The forced proximity causes Cabot some discomfort – he’s so attracted to Lloyd and can’t do anything about it.  Lloyd is straight and the last thing Cabot wants is to put their friendship in jeopardy.  Lloyd often jokes about being with men or being with Cabot, but that’s just joking.  Herein lies the reason for 3.5 stars instead of 4.  The whole thing is based on Cabot being so oblivious and clueless, but it didn’t read that way.  Maybe he was a little bit but he was also blinded by the straight man actions of Lloyd.

It is a surprise when Lloyd’s mother sets Cabot up on a blind date, because she usually doesn’t meddle.  What a date.  OMG, could Malcom be more obnoxious? I get being super into sex but do you go off with someone while your date is sitting at the table?  The initial phone call should have been enough to make Cabot go running.  And if someone left me outside the house with the door locked while they got ready, I’d have walked off.  The date only goes downhill from there and Lloyd is there to save the day.

This is a really cute friends-to-lovers story, although I wish the Vic aspect had come out in the open before it ended.  I will definitely read something else by this author, who is new to me.

The cover, a lone man with rhubarb pie, fit the story well.  Rhubarb pie is important!

Sales Links:  Amazon | Kobo | NineStar Press

Book Details:

ebook, 65 pages
Published September 16th 2019 by NineStar Press
ISBN1 39781951057381
Edition Language English

A Lila Audio Review: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge and Wyatt Baker (Narrator)

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Shattered by their devastating breakup, Detective Levi Abrams and PI Dominic Russo find themselves at war right when they need each other most. While Dominic is trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction, Levi despairs of ever catching the Seven of Spades. The ruthless vigilante’s body count continues to climb, and it’s all Levi can do to keep up with the carnage.When Levi’s and Dominic’s paths keep crossing in the investigation of a kidnapping ring with a taste for mutilation, it feels like history repeating itself. Thrown together by fate once again, they reluctantly join forces in their hunt for the mastermind behind the abductions.

But the Seven of Spades hates sharing the spotlight, and they have an ace in the hole: a new batch of victims with a special connection to Levi. Their murders send shockwaves through Las Vegas and change the rules of the game forever.

The Seven of Spades has upped the ante. If Levi and Dominic don’t play their cards right, they’ll end up losing everything.

One-Eyed Royals is a darker view of the Seven of Spades’ psyche. It mirrors Levi’s volatility and Dominic’s addiction. They’re a disfuncional triad held together by a sense of right and wrong.

It’s hard to see Levi and Dominic struggling to be what the other wants and needs. I think they’re toxic to each other but that has been the root of their relationship since book one.

They spent a lot of time apart but relatively closed. Which gave the author the opportunity to add a couple of funny moments, bringing the tension down.

The cases were intrinsically related and unique to the story. I enjoyed the way they worked different angles to arrive at the same conclusions. They showed once again that they work best together.

As always, the secondary characters and small plot points created an interesting book full of drama and heartache. All I’m going to say about Staton is that he needs his own man.

This is definitely a great mystery. I’m still not able to figure out who the Seven of Spades is but I’m looking forward to its reveal.

The narration by Wyatt Baker takes of from the previous installment, easing the reader into the action, the series, and great characters.

The cover by Garrett Leigh is perfection, as always. She has a way to create cohesive covers for series without losing the individuality of each book and the author’s character.

Sales Links: Riptide | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Wyatt Baker
Length: 10 hours and 25 minutes

Published: September 25, 2019 (Audio Edition) by Riptide Publishing
ASIN: B07YBH6RZ1
Edition Language: English

Series: Seven of Spades
Book #1: Kill Game
Book #2: Trick Roller
Book #3: Cash Plays
Book #4: One-Eyed Royals