Category: M/M Supernatural Fiction

A Paul B Review: Sealed With Acceptance (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #5) by Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Adrian screwed up big time three years ago.  While at a party that his boyfriend did not want to go to, Adrian got drunk and had sex with a stranger.  Three years later, he still cannot recall details of the incident.  He does recall how he broke Jacob’s heart.  Now, his parents are asking him to move on from Jacob as they intend to mate his younger brother Charlie with Jacob.  He must meet with Jacob in order to patch things up as thing could get awkward at family gatherings otherwise.

The past three years have been hard on Jacob.  He never thought Adrian would cheat on him but he did.  Being drunk at the time doesn’t matter.  Jacob believes he will not be able to trust Adrian again.  He is surprised to receive a call from him after agreeing to mate with Charlie.  Of course Adrian picks THEIR spot to meet on the beach, where they would shift into their whale (Jacob) and crab (Adrian) forms.  Even after the betrayal, Jacob has not really moved on.  He had played with West, the young cougar shifter who helps Jacob take care of his mother who has early onset Alzheimer’s.  He knows how important Adrian and Charlie’s parents feel that the two families should come together, but he does not love Charlie.  Even though they seem to be a good fit on paper, Charlie will always be Adrian’s kid brother to him.

When Jacob comes over for dinner with Adrian, Charlie and his parents, things hit the fan.  Charlie, believing that Adrian and Jacob are meant to be together, believes this might be a step toward reconciliation.  When he finds out that he Is to be mated to Jacob, he explodes.  Charlie wants to mate for love, not for some alliance that would further the family’s standing in the community.  He runs out of the house with his parents chasing after him.  Meanwhile, Adrian and Jacob talk some more and Adrian comes to the conclusion that Jacob will never really forgive him to try again.  Charlie deserves a good man and there are none better the Jacob.  But it still hurts like hell.  He sees that nobody here is winning (except maybe his parents) and cannot find a way to make it better.  Luckily Charlie has a plan to make things better. 

I enjoyed this fifth book in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series a bit more than the others I have read.  While the parents are once again heavy handed in trying to control their sons’ futures, the children take matters into their own hands sooner than in other books.  You would think parents in this day and age would care more about their children’s happiness instead of antiquated ideals of the past.  The thing I found interesting is that Jacob’s mother is struggling with Alzheimer’s.  In most shifter books, they are immune from human diseases.  While not as progressive as the human variety, Jacob’s mother suffers just the same.  Charlie is one determined young man and I cannot wait to see what plans he has for West in a future book.

Latrisha Waters provides a good cover for the book.  Adrian is seen with an opened button down shirt while Jacob’s whale is swimming in the background.  This is a fairly standard cover for this series.

Sales Links

eXtasy Books

Book Details

EBook, 80 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published:  October 7, 2016 by eXtasy Books

ISBN:  978-1-4874-0898-5

Series:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered

  • Sealed With Honor (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #1)
  • Signed with a Heart (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #2)
  • Delivered to Hope (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #3)
  • Delivered from Anguish (Signed, Sealed, Delivered #4)
  • Sealed with Acceptance(Signed, Sealed, Delivered #5)

An Alisa Release Day Review: Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2) by Tara Lain

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

Sammy Raphael is a crappy witch, and on top of that, he can’t seem to get a boyfriend. Where other supernaturals can bring down lightning and manifest wealth, Sammy can paint. Granted, the “prophetic” paintings he creates at night always come true, but they never predict anything important. Sammy feels like a total loser with a worthless ability.

 

One night he paints a gorgeous guy who turns out to be his secret crush, the human Ryder, but Ryder’s changed so much he’s almost unrecognizably beautiful. Then Sammy paints an angel who turns out to be a witch. But is that witch also a devil—a devil who can bring down Sammy’s whole community and everyone he loves? And why the hell does Ryder keep changing? Aloysius, the black cat familiar, always backs a winner. So why is he backing Sammy?

 

I looked forward to reading this story since I finished Spell Cat when it re-released last year, however this on didn’t seem to have the same pull as the first book.  Sammy really does feel sorry for himself but makes a point of not showing others how he is feeling even when things are really bad.  He even continues to “date” someone that doesn’t feel right because he is so desperate for a relationship.

 

Ryder looks out for Sammy even as he continues to deny is attraction to him.  He knows that Lucien is bad news but can’t really explain why.  Though in the end it helps him to finally open up about who he is to Sammy.

 

A good majority of this story is told from Sammy’s point of view and you can’t help but feel his pain as he tries to live with his unrequited love and secrets he is forced to keep.  Even when things seem like they can’t get any better he continues to do what is right to help his people.  Ryder also suffers silently unable to reveal his real self to his friends, but jumps in when he can help Sammy and can no longer deny his feelings.  There were quite a few “duh” moments throughout this story between the main characters and also supporting characters that just didn’t fit and repeating of information at times.  This story didn’t have the same flow as the first book which makes me a bit hesitant to read the next book but I probably will just so I can see how everything plays out in the end.

 

Cover art by Reese Dante is wonderful and I love the visual of Sammy.

 

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages

Published: 2nd Edition, April 14, 2017 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 9781635333329

Edition Language: English

Series: The Aloysius Tale #2

The Necromancer’s Dance by S J Himes Audiobook (Narrator Joel Leslie) Tour and Giveaway

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Title: The Necromancer’s Dance
Author: S J Himes
Series: The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1
Narrated by: Joel Leslie
Length: 8 Hours 8 minutes
Release Date: 21st March 2017
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, MM Romance

1 Necromancer's Dance Audio Cover

BLURB

In a world where magic is real and evil walks amongst humanity, a young sorcerer is beset 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 drawn 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 as to 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.

Purchase: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK I iTunes

Listen to an audio teaser from The Necromancer’s Dance at Soundcloud.

S J Himes and Joel Leslie will BOTH be at GRL in October 2017! Find out more information on the website.

EXCERPT

“Simeon. Care to share? Wanna tell me why I was dragged outta bed and driven across town to find my brother’s boyfriend locked in your storage room?” Angel growled at the old vamp, and Simeon’s lip twitched again.

Angel had something of a temper problem. Just a bit. And Simeon loved to poke at it, like a fool hunter nagging at a bear with a stick after a long cold winter. “And if anyone says Isaac was involved with this stupid endeavor I’m about to hear, I am gonna start handing out hexes indiscriminately.”

“Mr. Doyle,” Simeon said, tilting his head at the man cowering at the table, “decided he was going to take a job to burglarize the place of business of our Master. He was caught,” Simeon continued, a calm veneer over a well of tension. Simeon’s voice was accented faintly, and had a lilt to it that could seduce the clothes off a nun— which Angel was certain Simeon had done at some point in his long life. Simeon was one slick bastard. “He refuses to tell us who hired him. As per the arrangement you have with our master, we did not get the information from him as we usually would. That is why you are here, Sorcerer Salvatore.”

GIVEAWAY: Win The Necromancer’s Dance Audiobook

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About the Author

I’m a self-employed writer who stresses out about the silliest things, like whether or not I got my dog the best kind of snack and the fact my kindle battery tends to die when I’m at the best part in a book. I write mainly gay romance, erotica, and urban fantasy, with ocasional forays into contemporary and paranormal. I love a book heavy on plot and character evolution, and throw in some magic, and that’s perfection. My current series are: The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, Bred For Love (as Revella Hawthorne), and The Wolfkin Saga. My last two novels in the Beacon Hill Sorcerer won 3rd Place in the Gay Fantasy category for the 2016 Rainbow Awards.

I live in New Orleans, where the personalities are big and loud and so are the bugs! New Orleans is rich in cultural history, and the flavor and music of the City is impossible to hide. Before that, I lived all over the United States: Tampa, Western Massachusetts, Indianapolis, and on and on…. I’m a nomad, and I’ve yet to find a place that calls to me strongly enough to become home. My faithful travel companions are my dog Micah, the numerous voices in my head who insist they all get put on paper, and the wind at my back.

Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Facebook Fan Group | Twitter | Amazon

About the Narrator

web version joel arm

Joel Leslie is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of American and British sounds. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike.

He is proud to have a strong following with m/m listeners and an ongoing relationship with some of the finest writers in the genre. He loves that every day he gets to share these beautiful, inspirational and empowering GLBT characters with the world. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.

Find a list of Joel’s books on Audible

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio – Online Stories (Revisited)

Pauls Paranormal Portfolio Header

Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio – Online Stories

Welcome back to another edition of the portfolio.  It’s been a while since we chatted but as they say, life gets in the way.  In this edition of the portfolio, I would like to highlight three online stories that I have been reading.  These stories are considered to be in progress and are updated according to the author.  All these stories can be found on the Castle Roland (castleroland.net) web site.

The first story is a fantasy story by AB called The Chronicles of Valana:  Shadowlands.  Marco and Lucas are ten year olds living in Manhattan.  Near their home is a demolition site for the Artifacts Museum.  One day while playing in the rubble, they find an ancient medallion.  They are transported away from New York and land in the middle of a forest where a knight approaches them.  The pair escapes the knight but use of magic.  Clearly not in their own world, the pair set off to find out where they have landed and if there is any way for them to return home.  On their journey, they discover that one is an elven prince and the other a “talker” who can act as a translator not only of humans but animals and nature as well.  The pair must now travel to the elven lands to fulfill their destiny of saving this strange world in which they have entered.

The second story is The Prince of House Vladd by Arthur.  Peter is celebrating his fifteen birthday.  His father takes him to a birthday party in his honor.  When he arrives to the mansion where the party is being held, he finds out there is more to this world than just humans.  Peter is actually Prince Piotr, heir to the vampire House of Vladd the Impaler.  Peter is a daywalker, a vampire who can go out in sun.  His father tells Peter that he will be the next leader of the Vampire council with the princes of the other vampire houses as his guardians.  Peter sets about learning his way but there are those who believe Peter is an easy mark.  Peter and his guardians must defend against this threat.  In book two, a religious demagogue has been elected president and is starting a crusade against all non-conforming people.  Peter, his mate and their son must escape before forces reach them and bide their time in Latin America. 

The third book is not a paranormal book but deals with the apocalypse.  The Day of N by Kyle Aarons tells the story of seven scouts ages eleven to twelve who are out at a camp out with their scout master Scott Korbal.  They are biking near where they are camping when there is a flash in the distant sky.  Scott’s bike blows a tire and he takes a tumble, breaking his arm and several ribs.  The boys notice several mushroom clouds in all directions along with missiles flying upward as an apparent counterstrike gets on the way.  Scott knows that he must get the boys to safety as quickly as possible.  He also realizes that without medical help, he is more than likely going to die soon due to his injuries.  As a former special forces ranger, he is determined to impart his knowledge to these young men about the new world that they live in before his time is up. 

I hope you find these stories as engaging as I have.  If you have your favorite online paranormal stories please share them in the comments section.  I would like to keep this limited to story sites and not author blogs where story previews are often shared and later published.  Until next time…

Paul

In Memoriam – Paul Berg

In Memoriam – Paul Berg

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words lost one of its wonderful reviewers recently.  Paul Berg died suddenly during one of his beloved backgammon tournaments, a game he was passionate about.  I’d like to think his love of LGBTQIA Science Fiction kept him occupied between tournaments and visa versa!  He was always talking about the next books he was reading or the next topic for his Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio blog he wrote for us.  His excitement was contagious!  It didn’t matter what genre the characters and stories he was reading were from…he just loved all the books and their couples (from the supernatural shifters to the alien ones) to the paranormal to fantasy to the science fiction..Paul loved them all so.

And he wanted to share his love of those stories with all of you.

Paul did that through his reviews and through his blog, Paul’s Paranormal Portfolio, where he shared his love of all the characters and formats that came his way.  He had discussed with me expanding it in the future to include the serial stories he loved reading and some graphic novels.  I’ll miss those too.

But Paul left so much of him behind in the joy, swift intelligence, and gift of himself that he shared with others.  Whether it was through his reviews of books or his presence and fierce competition at the backgammon tables or as a great friend and family member, Paul Berg made an impact in this world.  He will be deeply missed.

 

Burial and Memorial for Paul Berg by Benjamin Friesen – GoFundMe

The best portion of a good man’s life: his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.

William Wordsworth

British poet William Wordsworth (born April 7, 1770) was a key figure in the Romantic Age, which privileged emotion over reason and was seen as a cultural revolt against the Industrial Revolution.

A MelanieM Review: Skim Blood and Savage Verse (Offbeat Crimes #3) by Angel Martinez

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Words damage more than just feelings as Carrington hunts feral books menacing the city.

When a ferocious book attacks Carrington at his own birthday party, he believes it’s an isolated incident. But similar books soon pop up all over town, menacing innocent people with harsh bits of poetry and blank verse that deliver damaging physical blows. It’s a frustrating case with too many variables and not enough answers, and the stakes go up with each attack.

With the help of his misfit squad mates at the 77th and the public library’s Rare Books Department, the missing pieces decrease but not Carrington’s vexations. His commanding officer rakes him over the coals at the beginning of every shift. His police partner has lost patience with what she sees as his delusional relationship choices and his inability to pick the right man in a vast field of two. City Hall demands that the books be stopped immediately. It’s enough to put a nutritionally challenged vampire off his skim blood.

The book rattled violently on the table in an imitation of a step dance and printed words leaped out of the pages at frightening speed. Just before they slammed into Carrington’s head, the flying words shrieked at him.
“You starveling, you eel-skin, you dried neat’s tongue, you bull’s pizzle!”
He had time for a split second of horror before the words rammed into him with the force of several fists.

                                                  from Skim Blood and Savage Verse (Offbeat Crimes #3) by Angel Martinez

Yes, feral books are rampaging about the city slinging deadly poetry at people’s heads!  Angel Martinez, you might as well drop the mike and leave the building! This is why I love to read, to come across passages and indeed an entire story full of such paragraphs and plot threads so imaginative and lively that I burst into giggles still at the very thought of them.  And that’s just one element here.

Yes its poor Carrington, that vampire who needs to exist on skim blood with the worst taste in men who is the focus here (well one of them at any rate).  His feral book attack launches an investigation and soon his squad realizes there have been attacks all over the city.  The librarian in the Rare Books Department at the Public Library is just the sort to set him, well not straight, but on the path to HEA, if Carrington can get past his own proclivities for picking up the most shallow, mean-spirited men around.  That’s a terrific storyline going on while in pursuit of the rampaging feral books (I can never get enough of those). The author gets us into Carr’s head and heart here.  While we are often frustrated with him, its also easy to understand why Carr is why he is.

But there’s another romance here.  One I rate just  as highly.  LJ, also known as Leather Jacket. Yes, an animated object of clothing who’s a member of the squad (loosely) gets a lover. I won’t go into the details because they are too wonderful and should be explored within the story itself.  This romance turned out to be so adorable, so charming and mysterious (and on-going probably into the next story) that I was just as equally invested in them as well as in Carrington and Erasmus, the librarian.   I will, however, mention that for those who  like a quick romance, that doesn’t happen.  Carr has plenty of issues and those have to be dealt with first.   But we get a closer look at Carr’s family, his partner Amanda (who I also adore) and other respective members of 77th Precinct.

There’s a dangling bit of mystery left here at the end, a rather large bit that I hope leads into the next story.  The 77th Precinct and all its members are downright addictive! You never know what wildly scary case will come their way with love tromping along too.  Or maybe being propelled by fairies or blasted by fire.  Probably not.  All too mundane.  Which is why I cannot wait for the next book in the series to arrive.  Pill bugs from space and now deadly poetry spitting flying feral books!  What will Angel Martinez come up with next?  I’ve got the popcorn and am patiently waiting to find out.

Cover art by Posh Gosh is very pretty and includes that flying book.

Sales Links

Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 137 pages
Published April 4th 2017 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786515520
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series Offbeat Crimes 

Review Tour and Giveaway – Annabelle Jacobs’ Bitten By Design

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mRvGMr

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2odcOb1


Length: 80,000 words


Regent’s Park Pack Series


Bitten By Mistake (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK


Blurb

When the last thing you want, is everything you need….

Seb Calloway isn’t interested in shifters. After his best friend bonded with one, he avoids getting involved with them—no matter how hot they are—to prevent the same thing from happening to him. Why take the risk for a few hours of fun?

Tim Walters is the pack doctor. Considered to be mild-mannered and non-threatening by pack standards, he prides himself on being able to stay calm and maintain his control at all times. Desperate for a bond of his own, he knows his interest in Seb is an exercise in futility, but he can’t seem to help himself.

When news emerges that threatens Seb’s safety, he and Tim need to fake a relationship to keep Seb safe. Despite Seb’s refusal to be anything other than friends with benefits, what starts out as pretend, quickly becomes more—for Tim at least. If Tim doesn’t want to end up heartbroken, he needs to prove to Seb that loving a shifter doesn’t mean losing himself.

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 4.5 star Review here

 

 

 

 

Author Bio

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Twitter ñ https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction
Website ñ www.annabellejacobs.com
Email ñ ajacobsfiction@gmail.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction

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A Stella Review: Angel by JL Merrow

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

How do you know if you’re one of the damned?

As a child, Don wanted to become a priest. Now a grown man mostly at ease with being gay, he’s left the Catholic Church and has chosen instead to help people through his work as a parole officer.

His strong faith is shaken when his latest assignment turns out to be Michael, a young man Don hasn’t seen since he took Michael to church as a child — and saw his parish priest cast Michael out of the church as a demon.

Meeting him as an adult re-ignites the obsession Don had with the boy he couldn’t save. But can Michael be saved at all? Or is the strangely compelling demon with a taste for risky sex as damned as he believes himself to be?

JL Merrow is an amazing writer, I’m a huge fan of her works. It seems I already missed this short when it was first released, I couldn’t miss it this second time.

The blurb tells you everything you need to know about the story, I read it and liked it. Angel is a super short story, well written, quick and engaging. Being so short there wasn’t really space for a lot of development in the romance part, to be honest pretty inexistent. But the author was great at showing me how deep Dan was into Michael, from the moment they met again twenty years later, Michael is everything Dan can think and dream of. From that moment Dan will go after him and try to save him.

I have to say I wish Angel was a little longer and I would have preferred to have Michael POV too. I was interested in the MCs and yes, I wanted more about them, about what happened all the years they were apart, and I wanted more of them together. For these reasons I was going to give this short just three stars, then the ending part blew me away. The last pages were really beautiful and emotional, the feel of acceptance, the feel of love mixed with fear, all of these filled my heart.

The cover art by Witten Ink Designs is well done, simple, clean and fitting.

Sales Links:   JMS Books LLC | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 34 pages

Published March 11th 2017 by JMS Books LLC (first published February 24th 2010)

ASIN B06X3TDMW5

Edition Language English