Category: M/M Supernatural Fiction

An Alisa Review: What the Cat Dragged In by Kate Steele

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

what-the-cat-dragged-in-by-kate-steeleAn owl and a pussycat? Seriously? Oh yeah. Seriously hot.

 

It’s a case of lust at first sight. The sizzle between Kyle and Bryan ignites into a passionate encounter with an unexpected result. Fun and games between this owl and lynx shifter are all well and good, but love? That’s more than either one expected, and, for this interspecies couple, may be the very thing that tears them apart.

 

This is a cute short story.  Kyle always runs when Bryan is around because he doesn’t know how Bryan will take his attraction.  When Bryan uses Kyle’s games against him things get interesting.

 

I loved how Bryan didn’t care about what others would think of their relationship and just went with being with the man he wanted.  Kyle has more doubts, but when he sees that Bryan won’t hold prejudices against him he opens up.  Both characters make mistakes which we see in their interactions, but want to do right by the other in the end .

 

Cover art by April Martinez is nice and is a standard “fling” cover for Loose Id.

 

Sales Links: Loose Id | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 48 pages

Published: January 24, 2017 by Loose Id

ISBN: 9781682522943

Edition Language: English

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The New Wolf (Building the Pack #1) by RJ Scott

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

the-new-wolfThis was an interesting twist on wolf shifter stories and the beginning of a trilogy that will be completed by two other authors, so it’s definitely not a standalone.

Veterinarian Josh Nolan and his partner, Connor Vincent, move to Black Creek, Vermont, after a shooting incident in their former location severely injured Connor, who was a cop in that city. Hired by the Sheriff’s Department in Black Creek, Connor finds life here a lot quieter than in the city so starts to look through cold-case files. What he discovers is a series of injuries, deaths, and disappearances in the late sixties to early seventies that were never solved, though they did abruptly end. But he’s cautioned by the sheriff to leave the mysteries alone.

One night, however, Josh is severely injured when he stops to help a large dog who was hit by a car. The driver disappeared, and as Josh was struggling to help the large animal that looked remarkably like a wolf, someone attacked him. Fortunately, Connor arrives on scene quickly to care for him, Josh having called him when he stopped to help the animal. Shortly afterward, the sheriff and a few deputies arrive, and by the time Josh gets treatment at the local hospital, he’s been convinced that he imagined some of what he saw and that the attack couldn’t have happened that way at all.

This sets the scene for most of the story, in which much of what occurs to Josh, and later to Connor, is covered up and secretive. Ultimately, we discover that there are indeed wolf shifters in the area, and that some of the principal “human” characters are wolves who are members of a fairly new pack.

I enjoyed the story, though it felt introductory and incomplete, since the “big, bad wolf” was not taken down in this installment in the series. The established couple, Josh and Connor, were good characters, but I didn’t feel the closeness that I anticipated. They certainly had their quiet times and their sexy times, but maybe it was because of what happens to Connor, and the distance that injury created, they didn’t feel as strong a couple as I would have liked.

Nevertheless, those who enjoy paranormal/shifter stories will likely enjoy this introductory look at what promises to be an interesting and exciting series.

Cover art by Meredith Russell depicts one of the characters front and center with the full moon in the background. A nice cover but not outstanding among all others which feature a cover model as opposed to artwork or other interesting symbolism.

Sales Links

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2jseies

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jUYgGJ

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 78 pages
Published January 16th 2017 by Love Lane Books Ltd (first published August 1st 2013)
ASINB01MUBNP7M
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBuilding The Pack #1
CharactersJosh Nolan, Connor Vincent settingBlack Creek, Vermont (United States)

A Paul B Review: Kieran (The Atherton Pack #4) by Toni Griffin

Rating:  4.5 of 5 stars

kieran-the-atherton-pack-4-by-toni-griffinDamon is sent by the Brisbane police department with his partner to investigate the hacking of birth records by somebody in the Atherton area.  Atherton pack member Corey has been doing so for years in order to register births from same sex mates who have given birth.  However, he slipped up when he registered his Alpha couple’s son’s birth.  When Damon steps into Corey’s house, he scents that his mate has recently been in the house.  Unable to do anything about it, he continues his investigation trying to lead his partner away from Corey as the guilty party.

Kieran has recently returned to the Atherton pack.  Ben, not only the pack alpha but the Pennaeth Alpha (Supreme Alpha) of all Australia, has appointed Kieran as one of his Betas.  He finds it unusual for the inner circle to go out to dinner but agrees to go along.  As he enters the restaurant, he makes eye contact with Damon, his future mate.  Knowing that he is investigating his best friend does not bode well for the start of their mating.  When a couple of encounters with Damon end with Damon always retreating to his hotel room, Kieran feels betrayed and hurt even though he knows that Damon has to do his job.

Things go from bad to worse when the ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organization) is brought into the case.  After questioning, another federal organization drugs Corey and takes him away in a van.  Damon, along with the inner circle of the Atherton pack starts investigating who has taken Corey.  Thanks to his sources, Damon finds out that his worst fear has been realized—the government knows about shifters and is in the process of rounding as many of them up.  Just as he relays this information to the Atherton pack inner circle, he realizes that the pack house is about to be raided.  With the assistance of Kieran, Damon along with the alpha mate Tommy and Tommy’s son Joseph escape.  However, all the rest of the inner circle, including his mate Kieran, has been captured.  Damon now must find a way to free the captive shifters and make sure that the rest of his kind is safe from further abductions.

This fourth book in the Atherton Pack series has both romance and action in it.  Damon is torn between his job as a police officer and his duty to keep shifters safe no matter what.  He is frustrated that his mate cannot accept that he has to keep up the charade to his partner that basically he is a double agent within the police department trying to keep Corey from going to jail.  He would like to tell his partner of twelve years to ease off but that is impossible since he knows Corey is guilty.  Kieran meanwhile thinks Damon has betrayed his kind by working the federal agents.  Keep an eye out for characters from Toni Griffin’s Holland Brothers shifter series as a number of them make an appearance in this book.

The cover by Freddy MacKay works well.  A shirtless man’s back with a huge wolf’s head tattoo covering it stretches underneath a full moon with a black wolf’s muzzle looking at the man. 

Sales links available: Amazon, ARe, Bookstrand

Book Details

Ebook, 163 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published: October 19, 2016 by Mischief Corner Books

ASIN: B01M0OZAWQ

Series:  Atherton Pack

Liam (Atherton Pack #1)

Ben (Atherton Pack #2)

An Alisa Releases Day Review: Warlock in Training (Studies in Demonology #1) by T.J. Nichols

 

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

warlock-in-training-by-tj-nicholsAngus Donohue doesn’t want to be a warlock. He believes draining demons for magic is evil, but it’s a dangerous opinion to have—his father is a powerful and well-connected warlock, and Angus is expected to follow the family tradition.

 

His only way out is to fail the demon summoning class. Failure means expulsion from the Warlock College. Despite Angus’s best efforts to fumble the summoning, it works. Although not the way anyone expects.

 

Angus’s demon, Saka, is a powerful mage with his own need for a warlock.

 

Saka wants to use Angus in a ritual to rebalance the magic that is being stripped from Demonside by warlocks. If Angus survives his demon’s desires and the perils of Demonside, he’ll have to face the Warlock College and their demands.

 

Angus must choose: obey the College and forget about Demonside or trust Saka and try to fix the damage before it’s too late. Whatever he does, he is in the middle of a war he isn’t qualified to fight.

 

This is wonderful and thought out story.  Angus has been struggling with himself since his father placed him in Warlock College and has been trying to figure out how to get out without just quitting like he wants to.  When Saka takes him back to Demonside most of his beliefs and research about the use of demons in his world are confirmed.

 

Both Angus’s and Saka’s worlds were well developed and I wasn’t questioning the actions of the characters throughout the story as can often happen with little things seem to be missing.  While the “relationship” between Angus and Saka is not the main focus of the story it is important for this story for the future in this series.  They both have a deep connection to the other, but are unable to actually voice this to others or really themselves.

 

We see the views of both Angus and Saka in this story.  Angus is trying to figure out how to help Saka while also not being a rogue on his side; unfortunately he has more confrontation than he planned on.  I couldn’t help, but feel his desperation and how hopeless his situation felt at many points throughout the story.  Saka has never fully agreed with what many on his side deem the proper solution for bring the worlds back into balance, but as long as he is able he will work to do what he thinks is the best solution.  This is a great start to this series and I look forward to more of these stories.

 

Cover art by Catt Ford is wonderful and shows both of the worlds Angus is trying to live in.

 

Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages

Published: February 14, 2017 by DSP Publications

ISBN-13: 9781635332674

Edition Language: English

Series: Studies in Demonology #1

A PaulB Review: Wolf Whistle (Werewolves of Manhattan #7) by A.C. Katt

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

wolf-whistle-2I always eagerly await the next book in the Werewolves of Manhattan series.  And with this seventh edition, I am not disappointed.

The board members of Garou Industries are celebrating the mating and wedding of Etienne Daurensbourg and Julio Reyes in suburban Chicago.  As a wedding present to Julio, Etienne has found Julio’s childhood friend Richard Kerrigan who is living in Chicago.  The two have not seen each other in over ten years, when Julio was placed in foster care after the death of his parents.  Richard’s family was not able to take Julio in because of state regulations and was not given any further information on him.  Richard jumps at the chance to reunite with his friend.

Richard has been living in Chicago for the past few years to take care of his sick mother.  While going through this, he is fired from his job as an engineer after blowing the whistle on shoddy parts in military vehicles.  The company effectively blackballs him from any other engineering company in Chicagoland.  Richard is unable to move after paying for his mother’s medical and funeral expenses.  Working at a local bar, a local Serbian mobster takes an interest in him.  Knowing that sooner or later, the mobster will make his move on him resulting in unwanted sexual encounters or worse, he takes the offer of a job at Garou, which Etienne has helped arrange.  He is to be mentored by Julien Bellaire, who happens to be Richard’s mate.  Arrangements are made so that Richard can leave with Julio and the board of Garou the next morning.

As usual, the mating of a board member does not go off as planned.  The Serbian mobster will not let Richard go that easily.  He tracks him down to New York in order to get him back.  There is also the fact that Richard must be told that he is Julien’s mate and that the board members of Garou are all wolf shifters.  Julien hopes that through Julio’s friendship and Colin’s book that the transition is not as traumatic as the others have been.  Now all Julien has to do is ensure that Richard is alive by the time they travel to Oregon for the mating ceremony.

As the characters in the book point out, the mates and matings all seem to follow a pattern.  But the author makes each one unique and then starts to change the script on the reader.  As with the previous two novels, we are introduced to the next potential mate at the end of the book.  This mate seems to shatter the mold completely.  I liked the introduction of Don Ferone’s gay stepson.  He wants his stepfather to change his ways but is isolated from most of the family business because of his thoughts.  I am pretty sure he will be a go between for the two powerful forces in New York.  Please hurry with book eight, Ms. Katt.

Winterheart Designs’ cover art is another winner.  The red headed Richard and brunette Julien are above a New York bridge skyline with a wolf howling against the backdrop of the moon above. 

Sales Links

MLR Press

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Book Details

EBook, 201 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published January 20, 2017 by MLR Press

ISBN:  978-1-944700-44-0

Series:  Werewolves of Manhattan

His Omega (Werewolves of Manhattan #1)

Remy’s Painter (Werewolves of Manhattan #2)

Scarred Mate (Werewolves of Manhattan #3)

Marking Kane (Werewolves of Manhattan #4)

Alexi’s Mouse (Werewolves of Manhattan #5)

Julio’s Wolf (Werewolves of Manhattan #6)

Wolf Whistle (Werewolves of Manhattan #7)

A Paul B Release Day Review: Wolfmanny by Julia Talbot

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

wolfmannyJack McMillian is about to get away to Mexico for a vacation when his boss summons him to his office.  When the boss, a lion shifter, asks Jack to do him a favor, you know it must be big.  He wants Jack to go to Colorado to take on the job of manny to five wolf shifter pups ranging from age fifteen to twin three year olds.  It appears the young fifteen year old she-wolf bit their previous nanny, an ostrich shifter.  The head of the household, the children’s uncle, is CEO of a major computer company and known as a good alpha.  Deciding Vail was an alternative to Mexico, Jack decides to take the job, at least temporarily.

Kenneth Marcon has been raising his sister’s children for the past couple of years.  The children’s father dropped them off shortly after his wife’s death, unable to cope with the five children, two of which were infant twins.  He has help running both his company and his household from Miles.  Miles has had a thing for Ken but never acted upon it as Ken was both his boss and his alpha.  Things start to change when the new manny arrives.  When Jack begins to take interest in Miles, Ken starts to assert his feelings not only for his assistant but for the new manny as well.  Just as the three are forming their bond, Ken is called away to London to complete a business deal for his software company.  While Ken skypes with his family, it’s not enough for Jack or Miles and they see that Ken is not dealing well with being away either.  Can the men convince Ken to balance his work and home life better as seven people need him also?

This was a slightly different take on a shifter story for me.  When Ken is introduced as an alpha, I thought that there would be a big pack under his control.  Instead it seems that the pack is actually his family and those he employs for his household and company.  There is talk about sentries patrolling but I was not sure if it was just his estate or pack lands they were patrolling.  The mink shifters were a unique twist to what one would think would make a good bodyguard for the children.  Each of the children had their own personalities.  Simone is just beginning to shift again and doesn’t understand why she is different than her friends.  Tommy yearns for a male role model.  Ginny is the tom boy who is beginning to get interested in more feminine things.  And twins Jim and Joe just changed from wolf pups to their human form so they are exploring the world in their other form.  Personally, I thought the last couple of chapters would have been better as the start of a sequel to this book.  And I’m sure it will be a jumping off point for any such book.  I am waiting for more adventures of this family.

I absolutely adore the cover by Christine Griffin.  It has three wolf paw prints within a heart on a wood surface.  This is perfect for the book.

Sales Links

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7104e-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

Book Details

ebook, 216 pages
Expected publication: February 6th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1635332877 (ISBN13: 9781635332872)
Edition LanguageEnglish