A MelanieM Review: Altered States (Altered States, #0.5) by Laura Harner

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Altered STates coverNew Orleans Police Detective Sam Garrett is having a bad day.  Sam can’t stand working with partners, yet he’s been assigned an aggravating, hot, and most-likely-straight partner, Travis Boudreaux,.  Travis pushes all his buttoms, including the one that says Sam finds Travis seriously attractive, not good when the man in question is straight.

When Sam and Travis are assigned to investigate a string of gay-bashings turned deadly in the French Quarter, the last thing Sam expects is that Travis plans to use him as bait. The worst part? They’ve got no back-up because the rest of the city is preoccupied by another series of killings — the victims drained of blood.

It should be a simple thing to close this case…but this is New Orleans where the deadly, the mystical, and the unknown can combine in lethal ways as Sam and Travis are about to find out.

Altered States started out as a story prompt in the Goodreads M/M Romance’s Love is Always Write, Don’t Read in the Closet Events.  But Altered States was to be a springboard to an addictively absorbing new series from Laura Harner and T.A. Webb.  It all starts with the wonderful creation of New Orleans Police Detective Sam Garrett.  Sam is gay, biracial, and physically slight, or should that be wiry.   He’s complex and not terribly popular down at the Precinct, which is a mixture of characters, not all of which are exactly upstanding representations of the law.

Adding to his woes of too many hours, not enough sleep, and aggravation at work is the fact that Sam has been assigned a new partner.  Travis Boudreaux is more of an enigma, a question mark of a persona that looms larger at the shocking end.  The case they are assigned too is horrific in nature.  Young gay men are being tortured and killed and its up to them to stop it.

Harner and Webb weave a fascinating tale of wary men, unacknowledged appetites, and murder.  Then they overlay it all with a touch of the supernatural when victims in another salacious crime spree start turning up dead, drained entirely of their blood.   It’s a great plot, and that twist at the end is shocking.  I loved it!  So will  you.

The kicker comes at the beginning of the next story that really starts this series, Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States #1).  That one?  Oh my!  This series is like a bowl of bon bons, once you start in on them, they are so delicious and rich that you won’t be able to stop.  I quite happily read my way through all three available stories and am now anxiously waiting for the next.

Altered States is one of my highly recommended reads as is the series.  Grab it up, along with all the others and drop yourself in the New Orleans world of crime, passion, and the supernatural!

Cover Art by Laura Harner.  Dark, kind of noirish.  Perfect!

Sales Links:     All Romance (ARe) (free)         amazon             get it here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 41 pages
Published May 27th 2012 by Hot Corner Press
ASINB0086Y9MM4
series  Altered States

Books in the Altered States Series:

  • Altered States (Altered States, #0.5)
  • Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States #1) by L.E. Harner, T.A. Webb
  • Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States, #2) by L.E. Harner, T.A. Webb

 

A Mika Review: Loveblood by M.J. O’Shea

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

A Harmony Ink Press Young Adult Title

Loveblood coverMax Appleton and his mother Celia are on the run, hiding from an abusive father and husband who’s also a notoriously bad pack leader. When Max hit puberty and it became obvious he’d never make an alpha wolf, his father turned the brunt of his anger toward his inferior son and his beta wolf wife for producing him. Max and Celia find sanctuary in a garden cottage at Holly Court, the sprawling estate where Celia’s oldest friend lives with her pack alpha husband, three daughters, and teenaged son Jonah.

Jonah Spellman has what seems like the perfect life. His family is close, his dad is respected by their whole pack, and he’s been groomed to take over for as long as he can remember. Everything is set, his whole life planned, and Jonah works hard to be exactly what everyone expects. He’s under enough pressure without a runaway from a bad pack complicating his life. 

When two teenaged werewolves from very different worlds meet one snowy January day, both of their worlds get turned inside out. From the moment they meet, nothing will be the same for Jonah or Max ever again.

I’m usually selective when it comes to reading YA books. They tend to be a little “young” for me.  I gave this one a chance based on it being a paranormal book. It wasn’t the best or the worst really. I think it was relatively sweet, maybe too much. I did like the paranormal aspect. I liked the heat and rut themes as well. I would really have enjoyed it if it would have been an mpreg book. I do think it was instant love, and I was fairly okay with that. I did find myself rolling my eyes a lot, but I tend to do those during YA books.

Max was definitely a fierce little wolf. His mother decided to move them down to Portland after years of abuse. They end up at Celia’s best friend from her home pack estate. Instantly there’s a connection between Max and Jonah. Jonah who is the son and future alpha of Holly Court’s pack. In the beginning Jonah seems like a nerd or a closed off kid. Well that changes quickly with the introduction of his future mate.

It was cute, all the cuddling, and closeness so quickly. Max and Jonah relationship started quickly. Max was so enthralled with Jonah that he forgot about school starting. He forgot about other people, a new school and everything else. Jonah was so wrapped up in Max he forgot about Zoe. His girlfriend, future mate who he was blood-bonded with since childhood. It wouldn’t be High School without bullies, frenemies, chosen sides, and unrequited love typical YA books.

There is a ton of jealously, lust, betrayal, fondling, and a plethora of more emotions. I did think that it was too “pat” of Jonah’s parents to be against Jonah being bonded to him because of pack disorder. Of course we had to have the fall out of Max and his mother’s urgent departure from their home pack. They brought the cliché destruction.

In the end I do feel like for a YA book it was good. It was rather fairy tale-ish because of the love surrounding Jonah and Max. Certain things were left unsaid for me. I can say if YA isn’t your thing then bypass this. I’m on the fence with YA generally but I did enjoy it. I liked the acceptance of certain things between the main characters. I liked that it wasn’t your typical YA High School bullying, I do think it was nice to see the parents have a huge impact on the boys. Would I recommend this? Certainly to YA audiences, people that like the cuteness theme level. It was fluffy, I did enjoy it though

Cover Art by M.J. O’Shea. I actually liked the cover based on it being about wolf shifters and running through the forest.

Sales Link:   Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback         All Romance eBook      amazon               buy it here

Book Details:
eBook, 256 pages
Published August 7th, 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781632162427
Edition Language: English

Into the Wild with Rory Ni Coileain and Ilya and the Wolf (Book tour and contest)

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Book Name: Ilya and the Wolf
Author Name: Rory Ni Coileain

Author Bio:

Rory Ni Coileain majored in creative writing, back when Respectable Colleges didn’t offer such a major, so she designed it herself – being careful to ensure that she never had to take a class before nine in the morning or take a Hemingway survey course. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa at the age of nineteen, sent off her first short story to an anthology being assembled by an author she idolized, got shot down in flames, and found other things to do, such as nightclub singing, for the next thirty years or so, until her stories started whispering to her. Now she’s a lawyer, a legal editor, an Irish dance teacher, the mother of a teenaged son, and amanuensis to a host of fantastic creatures who are all anxious to tell their stories.

Where can you find the author?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Soulshares
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RoryNi

Publisher: Dreamspinner PressIlyaandtheWolfLG
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Sales Links:  

Blurb:

Ilya is so deep in the closet he’d find Narnia if that weren’t a decadent Western story. Volyk, a wolf who carries the blood of the ancient oboroten’, shapeshifters, longs to show him the way out, but if Ilya follows the wolf, two lives will change forever.

Categories: Supernatural, Romance, shifters

Excerpt:

And the angel said unto them, be not afraid…

Ilya was not afraid. Enraptured, yes. Entranced. But not afraid. He had been ready for death when he closed his eyes in the wolf’s embrace. Instead, he was whole, and awake, and in the arms of a man more handsome than any angel. Volyk’s long thick hair was the brown and gray of the wolf’s pelt, his cheekbones angular, his lips full. And his eyes were the same beautiful fiery amber as the wolf’s.

Maybe he had only dreamed the wolf. Or maybe he was still dreaming. Surely he had done nothing in his life to earn the gift this moment would be if it were real.

Pages:
Tour Dates: December 15th, 2014

Tour Stops: 

Parker Williams, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, For the Love of Bookends, The Blogger Girls, Carly’s Book Reviews, Velvet Panic, MM Good Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Jade Crystal, Multitasking Mommas, Molly Lolly Fallen Angel Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Cate Ashwood, Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows, Christy Loves To Read

Contest:  Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Ilya and the Wolf. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Rafflecopter Code:
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Tumble into Love with M.A. Church’s Trouble Comes In Threes (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: Trouble Comes in Threes
Goodreads Link
Author Name: M.A. Church

Its Interview time with M.A. Church.  Let’s sit back and watch the fur fly (so to speak):

Dolf 300x450Dolf 300Tal 300x450Tal 300

 

 

 

 

 

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Q.  The synopsis paints an adorable picture.  What was the inspiration behind your story?

I actually started this story as a flash for New Year’s. I planned for it to be a simple little scene about a disgruntled guy alone for the holiday. As I got into it, I found he (Kirk) had a reason for being frustrated with his life. At age forty, he’d quit his job and started a business out of his home as a mechanic, and was struggling to get by. That’s a huge risk, especially for a man of his age. Kirk worked long hours. I mean, he was barely making it.

That led to his partner breaking up with him right before Christmas. I know, right? Who does that??? As the year progressed, every blessed appliance in his home broke.

As I was writing all this, Kirk snarked at me that trouble came in threes, and he was just waiting for number three to show up and kick him in the balls.

Then a wicked snowstorm hits the South and these two cats show up. Tenderhearted Kirk can barely feed himself, but he still takes the cats in… and there’s number three, lol, and the title for the story.

Q.  Writing believable threesomes can be tricky. How do you make the readers buy into the relationship between three men/shifters?

The story revolves around balance in a relationship. Dolf and Tal are an established couple, but when Kirk joins the relationship, he brings a balance they all needed. He isn’t the third; he’s the glue that binds them even more tightly. And Dolf and Tal bring something Kirk needs too.

Keeping up with who is doing what to who is one thing. Then throw in each character’s feelings and things can get hairy quick, lol. But since balance is an important theme for this, I needed all three to show their inner thoughts.

Q.  Just the idea of rescued cats will have people ‘awwing”, that’s will make this story instantly connectable.  How did you build your shifter culture for this story?

I took the basic components of wolf packs but tweaked it to match more of what I had in mind for this world. There’s still the Alpha/Betas/Omega role, but in Trouble, you have paranormals who make their own laws, have a government, and devise punishments suited to their kind. The paranormals in each territory vote for which elected Alpha was on the ballot. The winner led that territory, and his title was territory leader. They were like human governors.

There are five territories in the US: Eastern, Central, Mountain, Island, and Western Zones. Those five territory leaders joined with other territory leaders from around the world to make up the Alliance of Paranormals, which had over a hundred members. They had the power to change laws voted in by territory leaders. It’s like the human’s Supreme Court just on a bigger scale. This group makes all the decisions regarding paranormal.

Q.  Is this a stand alone or do you plan more in this universe?

Oh, there’s more coming, lol. I’m working on the second book, which is called Behind the Eight Ball.

Q.  What came first?  Title or plot?

LOL, well, the plot came first and that inspired the title.

Q.  Why a threesomes?  What about that particular dynamic speaks to you?

In Trouble, you get each man’s viewpoint, and that’s important to this story. It’s hard enough to make it work with just two, but three? But they don’t avoid rough times. In fact, they start right off the bat. Kirk makes it plain he won’t be the ‘third’ in a relationship. Neither will he be a patch to any sexual problems the two of them might have. But that’s what this is about: balance.

As the story unfolds, he comes to understand that each man is an equal in the triad and brings something to the table. It’s all about balance with these three—each man fills a need in the others.

Q.  What was the toughest thing about writing this story?

Getting the worldbuilding down, and making sure it made sense. I love it, and I hate it. Worldbuilding makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, but it also keeps me up nights, tossing and turning, lol.

I firmly believe there has to be an element of realism even to things that don’t exist. I also think…. Oh, um, I seem to have someone tapping me on the shoulder here and…. I see. *glares at the person* Okay, fine!

So, Dolf, one of the characters, said just because we don’t *think* they exist doesn’t mean they don’t. *Sigh* That’s the thing about cats. They are opinionated and gotta have the last word, lol.

8.  The easiest?

*Snort* Dealing with this group? Writing the end was the most satisfying, lol. The book gave me fits. I ripped it to shreds, moved whole pages, cut things, added stuff, screamed, cried, and drove my betas completely insane. Which they would tell you is nothing new when dealing with me.
*snicker* Poor betas.

9.  What’s next for M.A. Church?

Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on The Harvest: Journey’s End. It’s due out in early January. Along with that, I’m working on Behind the Eight Ball. This is book 2 in the Fur, Fangs, and Felines series and is about Heller. He’s one of the betas in Trouble Comes in Threes and he really, really does not like humans. *raises eyebrow* Their goddess has plans for Heller, lol.

~art work done by August (Gus) Li

 

Author Bio:

M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!

When not writing, she’s exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children.

She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013.

Author Contact:
Drop by her blog at http://machurch00.blogspot.com/

Publisher: Dreamspinner PressTroubleComesInThrees_final
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback

Blurb:

A snowstorm in the South—on New Year’s Eve—is a perfect recipe for a catastrophe. After two soul-crushing bad breaks, Kirk’s waiting for disaster number three to strike when naturally, two stray cats arrive on his doorstep during the storm and decide to make themselves at home. Tenderhearted Kirk lets them stay even though there’s something decidedly odd about his overly friendly felines.

Out of the punishing weather, and full of tuna, Dolf and Tal are happy to be snug in Kirk’s house. But then their human goes outside for firewood and suffers a nasty fall that leaves him unconscious. Now the two cats have no choice but to reveal themselves.

Kirk wakes up to find the two kitties are actually Dolf and Tal. They’re cat shifters—and his destined mates. Being part of a feline threesome is enough for Kirk to grapple with, but soon he learns they come from a clowder that doesn’t believe humans and shifters should mix. Kirk knew those two cats would be trouble. Little does he know the real trouble lies ahead.

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Menage/Poly, Paranormal, Romance

Excerpt:

Dolf picked out the saw he wanted, then followed Tal to another aisle. His mate pointed out the different kinds, but Tal’s words had rapidly faded into a meaningless buzz. There, on the air currents in the store, was the sweetest scent. It was light and flowery, reminding him of honeysuckle. He breathed deeply, taking the scent into himself. His cock hardened immediately and his head spun. A yowl threatened to escape.

That scent… that scent was seductive and alluring. It spoke to him, whispering things that made him need. His cat paced frantically in his mind, tail slashing madly. The need to pounce, to sink his canines in and drink that sweet, life-giving blood of his…. His gums tingled and saliva flooded his mouth.

He swallowed, then swallowed again as his head pounded, his heart rate spiking as one thought screamed through his mind: Mate! Another mate! Where was that scent coming from? Or who? And by the goddess, why? He already had a mate. What was their goddess thinking, giving him another? But he couldn’t ignore the reaction. It had been the same when he met Tal.

Pages: 234

TCITBadgeTour Dates/Stops: 

15-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Multitasking Mommas

Hearts on Fire

16-Dec

Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

Nephylim

It’s Raining Men

Rainbow Gold Reviews

17-Dec

BFD Book Blog

Love Bytes

Velvet Panic

MM Good Book Reviews

18-Dec

Wake Up Your Wild Side

The Hat Party

The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat

Michael Mandrake

Full Moon Dreaming

19-Dec

Because Two Men Are Better Than One

My Fiction Nook

Amanda C. Stone

22-Dec

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

All I Want and More Books

Prism Book Alliance

23-Dec

Inked Rainbow Reads

Cathy Brockman Romances

24-Dec

Molly Lolly

25-Dec

Queer Town Abbey

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

Parker Williams

26-Dec

Cate Ashwood

Fallen Angel Reviews

3 Chicks After Dark

 

Contest:  Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-Book Copy of ‘Trouble Comes in Threes’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for additional contest details and for the entry form.

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More Treats,Free Books, Winner Announcements, and Our Schedule This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 poinsetta clip artShort and sweet again this week!
Pretty much all announcements and the schedule for this up coming week!
  • Winner of ZA Maxfield’s Hell on Wheels contest for this blog:  Katherine Young

Publishers News:

  • 12 Days of MLR ChristmasMLR Press’ 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway started yesterday.  Today’s book :Cops, Cake and Coffee by Sara York.  Don’t miss out on a day of free great stories!
  • Breathless Press giving away 2 free ebooks starting on the 13th for all their newsletter subscribers.
  • Riptide Publishing is giving away free for a limited time the following Alexis Hall story (308 pages) in the Prosperity series:

Blurb for There Will Be Phlogiston (A Prosperity Story):

An instructive story in which vice receives its just reward.

Inspired by true and scandalous tales of the Gaslight aristocracy, we present the most moral and improving tale of Lady Rosamond Wolfram.

Weep, reader, for the plight of our heroine as she descends into piteous ruin in the clutches of the notorious Phlogiston Baron, Anstruther Jones. Witness the horrors of feminine rebellion when this headstrong young lady defies her father, breaks an advantageous engagement, and slips into depravity with a social inferior. Before the last page is turned, you will have seen our heroine molested by carnival folk, snubbed at a dance, and drawn into a sinful ménage a trois by an unrepentant sodomite, the wicked and licentious Lord Mercury.

Reader, take heed. No aspect of our unfortunate heroine’s life, adventures, or conduct is at all admirable, desirable, exciting, thrilling, glamorous, or filled with heady passion and gay romance.

 

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 Our Schedule This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, December 15, 2014:

  • Silvia Violet’s Wild R Christmas Book Blast and Contest
  • M.A. Church’s Trouble Comes in Threes Book Tour and Contest
  • Amy Lane’s The Bells of Times Square Book Tour and Contest
  • Rory Ni Coileain and Ilya and the Wolf (Book tour and contest)
  • Owen Keehnen – Thunder Snow and author interview (giveaway)

Tuesday, December 16, 2014:

  • Vicktor Alexander ‘Delicious Mistake‘ Book Blast and Contest
  • Lane Hayes ‘The Right Words‘ Keep Me In Mind tour
  • A Mika Review: Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton
  • A MelanieM Review: The Boy With the Painful Tattoo by Josh Lanyon

Wednesday, December 17, 2014:

  • Jay Jordan Hawk’s A Scout is Brave Book Tour and contest
  • Posy Roberts ‘Tangled Minds‘ Book Tour and Contest
  • Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review:The Merchant of Death (Playing the Fool #2) by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock
  • A Mika Review: Loveblood by M.J. O’Shea
  • A MelanieM Review: Altered States by Laura Harner and TA Webb

Thursday, December 18, 2014:

  • The Marine by John Simpson & Robert Cummings: Keep Me In Mind Tour
  • A Sammy Review: Thunder Snow by Owen Keehnen
  • A MelanieM Review: Otter Madness by Winnie Jerome
  • A MelanieM Review: The Oracle’s Golum by Mell Eight

Friday, December 19, 2014:

  • A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas, Author: Jackie Nacht’s Book Tour and Contest
  • Shira Anthony’s Blood and Rain Book Tour and Contest
  • A Sammy Review: Les faits accomplis by Anna Martin
  • A Mika Review:  The Devil’s Ride (Sex & Mayhem #2) by K.A. Merikan
  • A MelanieM Review: Blood and Rain by Shira Anthony
  • AJ Llewellyn’s The Mediator blog tour TB Tour

 

 

 

A MelanieM Review: Old Loyalty, New Love (L’Ange #1) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Old Loyalty new Love coverJackal shifter Quade Danas has spent decades away from home and pack after his father the Alpha banished Quade for being gay.  Quade vanished into the military, acquiring the skills and mindset he would need when he returned to civilian life as a bodyguard for Roman Howell, the teenage son of a very rich man.

Roman Howell has had two constants in his life.  The L’Ange, the beloved chateau he grew up in and Quade Danas, his bodyguard who is so much more to him than that title implies.  Quade has been there for him through two of the worst times in his life.  The first, being the school accident that cost Roman his good looks, physical well being and almost his life.  The second time was when his parents died, leaving a scarred young man alone to handle his parent’s business empire and estate, alone except for Quade.

Roman has always loved Quade but how to get his bodyguard to see that its the man he loves and not the safety net Quade has always represented to Roman?  Roman is determined to have Quade for his own, because he realizes something that even Quade hasn’t admitted, that Quade loves him back.

Quade has grown to love the young man he has watched over for years.  But he has convinced himself that the large difference in years between them as well as the secrets he hides put Roman out of reach, as his love and mate.  Then a call from his past puts his continued employment and relationship with Roman in jeopardy.  His old pack desperately needs him to return and take over. Quade feels compelled to heed the call, he may be forced to make a choice he never anticipated. But doing so means he must leave Roman behind… unless somehow they find a way to make loyalty and love work together.

I adore Mary Calmes shifters and with her new series, L’Ange, she gives the readers a new cast of shifters to fall in love with.  Old Loyalty, New Love sets the foundation of her series with the setting of the lands and the  “château d’Ange,” or “house of angels,” as it was named,  home of the wealthy Howell family. L’Ange is more than just a huge manor to Roman Howell, the only heir to the Howell fortune and empire.. It is home, full of happy memories of his parents and the only place where he feels safe and content. Calmes brings us into Roman’s life when he is 27.  It’s been six years since his parents have died, and Roman, with Quade’s support and advice, has come to grips with their death and his transfigured face and body as Chapter 1 opens.  And while we have the occasional flashback, it is mostly the adult Roman that we deal with.

I really like how Calmes is introducing new types of main characters into her stories.  In the past the author has been shown to be fond of  two distinct types of “leading men” in her stories.  In a way, those main characters have been a sort of hallmark of hers, and a beloved one at that.  But in Old Loyalty, New Love, a new type of character emerges, one so very different and yet totally appealing in his own right.  Roman Howell’s face now resembles a mask of melted wax, the result of a horrific fire aboard a school bus.  Here is our first glimpse of Roman, seen through Quade’s eyes:

A lot of the guys that Roman’s “friends” brought to meet him were startled by his appearance. Most of his face resembled melted wax, and the skin that didn’t was cratered and thick in some places, stretched thin and reddened in others. At first glance, people were still surprised, but to me, he was simply Roman Howell, my boss, who I had met as a boy of sixteen and watched become a man I both respected and admired. Now, the pictures of him before the accident were what caught me off guard. What could have been an ordinary face had been transformed, to me, into a visage of resilience and power.

There’s certainly nothing cute or adorable about either Roman or Quade, in personality or visage.  Quade is in fact quite a bit older, a bit menacing, and a jackal shifter to boot.  Both characters felt as fresh and fascinating as their personalities and relationship.  As relayed through the synopsis, Quade and Roman has a long, convoluted history together, one overlaid by an employer/employee relationship as well as a protector/protected one.  Mary Calmes then sets about demonstrating how intimate and genuine that relationship has become, changing into something deep-rooted and intense. It’s new depth is one Quade isn’t ready to acknowledge.  Trust me when I say, these two will grab you by the heartstrings, never to let go.

Quade has some aspects of past main characters, but he is so much his own personality.  Older, scarred, loyal to a fault,and a jackal shifter as well.  Quade is as complex and magnetic you could hope for.  I loved their interchanges and interactions with each other.

Aside from Quade and Roman, chateau L’Ange, is home to a fascinating assortment of characters, like the head of security, Arman de Soto, and Linus Hobbes, L’Ange’s manager. They and other shifters will figure largely in the books to come. I did find it a shame that the blurb gave away the fact that Quade was a jackal shifter as that bit of information comes slowly to the reader in small pieces.  At the beginning you arent’ sure what type of shifter Quade is but you see him following wolves at the beginning, so you might have imagined Quade as a wolf to begin with.  But the L’Ange series is full of different types of shifters and you are going to love the surprises that Calmes has in store for her readers.  I know I throughly enjoyed it as one wonderful revelation after another surfaced in the plot.  It made me love this story, along with Roman, and Quade, and all the rest.

The story flows along quickly, and even as new characters arrive to enlarge the cast, it never feels too overcrowded or bogged down.  There is a wonderful resolution and new mysteries set up for the next books to solve.  I can already tell this is going to be a new favorite series of mine.  I think you will feel the same.  Consider Old Loyalty, New Love a highly recommended read! Now on to Fighting Instinct (L’Ange #2). I can hardly wait!

Cover artist:  Anne Cain delivers a lovely cover with it’s gothic overtone but I think I had hoped for a little something more to make it great.

Sales Links:   Dreamspinner Press  eBook & Paperback & Audio           All Romance (ARe)         amazon             buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 246 pages
Published December 13th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press (first published December 12th 2013)
ISBN 1627984755 (ISBN13: 9781627984751)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4464
Books in the Series Include:

Old Loyalty, New Love (L’Ange #1)
Fighting Instinct (L’Ange #2)

Free Books, Announcements, and the Week Ahead at Scattered Thoughts!

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Busy, busy, busy…December is ticking away and I’ve a ton of things to do before the holidays hit.  So  here are some announcements from publishers regarding sales and free books.

Don’t miss out on any of it.

Winner Announcements: 

  • Winner of Liam Livings “And Then That Happened” Contest are: Lisa G.,Serena S.,Alice
  • The Winner of Erica Pike’s Black Hurricane contest is Emily W.

Congratulations to you all.

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Holiday Gifts (Free Books) and Sales from MLR, Riptide and Dreamspinner…

poinsetta clip artRiptide Publishing is offering a free title on December 8th: Free Read! There Will Be Phlogiston by Alexis Hall – Dec. 8  Get it Here!

poinsetta clip artHappy Holidays from Dreamspinner Press! All week, enjoy 25% off all in-stock paperbacks.

poinsetta clip artLoose id’s Specials on Sale: Including Nicole Kimberling’s Bellingham Mysteries, stories from Keira Andrews, and Neil Plakcy. All must reads here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

and…..

 poinsetta clip artMLR Press has Free Books for You! Celebrate the Holidays with Free books starting Dec 13th!

Check out their Free Book Schedule to the right………12 Days of MLR Christmas

Free books a day for the 12 days of Christmas, don’t miss out.

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Our Schedule at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words!

Monday, December 8, 2014:

  • Kayla Jameth ‘A Spartan Love’, blog tour part 2, contest
  • Groom of Convenience by Vicktor Alexander Book Tour and Contest
  • Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – There’s Something About Ari (A Bluewater Bay story) by L. B. Gregg
  • A Mika Review: Smoky Mountain Dreams by Leta Blake

Tuesday, December 9, 2014:

  • Riptide’s Player vs. Player by Amelia C. Gormley Blog Tour and Contest
  • A PaulB Review: Desert Foxe by Haley Walsh
  • A MelanieM Review: Old Loyalty, New Love by Mary Calmes
  • A Sammy Review: The Holiday Hoax by Skylar M. Cates

Wednesday, December 10, 2014:

  • VBT: Two Alone in Dublin by Lucy Carey Blog Tour and Contest
  • Hitting Black Ice by Heloise West Book Tour and Contest
  • Havan Fellows & Lee Brazil: Christmas In His Heart Blog Tour and Contest
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The Bells of Times Square by Amy Lane
  • A MelanieM Review: Christmas In His Heart by Havan Fellows and Lee Brazil

Thursday, December 11, 2014

  • Hard Riders Anthology blog tour from Totally Bound
  • Lissa Kasey/Sam Kadence Keep Me In Mind Tour
  • Raine O’Tierney ‘Bowl of Cherries‘ Virtual Tour December
  • A Sammy Review: The Right Words by Lane Hayes

 

Friday, December 12, 2014:

  • LLB:  RJ Scott’s Angel in a Book Shop Blog Tour and Contest
  • Kenzie Cade’s  Hummingbird House Book Tour
  • Rain Carrington – Turquoise Book tour and contest
  • Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – The Two Gentlemen of Altona by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock
  • A MelanieM Review: Texas Fall by RJ Scott

Saturday, December 13, 2014:

  • Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review – Blue Days by Mary Calmes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 2014 Summary of Reviews

November 2014 Book Review Summary

*Key:
STRW S series
C contemporary
F-fantasy
SF-science fiction
PN-paranormal
SP-supernatural
H-historical
HR-horror
N-Nonfiction
YA-young adult

Rating Scale: 1 to 5, 5 stars is outstanding
5 Star Rating:

Cold Day in Hell (In from the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil STRWCS PF2014
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) (Pulp Friction 2014 #19) by Havan Fellows
Manipulation by Eden Winters
Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) (Pulp Friction 2014 #17) by Laura Harner,
Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall STRWF
Starstruck by L.A. Witt STRWCS, A Barb Review
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb STRWCS PF2014
The Devil Lancer by Astrid Amara STRWH, SN
The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye STRWSC
Then the Stars Fall by Brandon Witt, STRWC
Third Eye by Rick R. Reed STRWSF A Barb Review

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:

The Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane (4.25) STRWCS MelanieM
The Circus of the Damned (Deal with the Devil story) by Cornelia Grey (4.25) STRWSN
The Eskimo Slugger by Brad Boney (4) STRW, Sammy Review
Carnival-Decatur by Zoe Lynne (4) STRWYA, Aurora Review
Chestnuts Roasting Anthology (Mischief Corner Anthologies (4.75) STRWHS
Ciro (Shivers ) by Remmy Duchene (4) STRWF PaulB Review
Key of Behliseth by Lou Hoffmann (4) STRWF An Aurora YA Review
Heart by Garrett Leigh (4) STRWCS, A Mika Review
Heat (Salisbury Stories #1) by RJ Scott and Chris Quinton (4.5) STRWCS MelanieM
Off Course by Bailey Bradford (4) STRWSNS MelanieM
Precious Metals by L.A. Witt (4.5) STRWSN, F MelanieM
Saving Crofton Hall (Stately Passions #1) by Rebecca Cohen (4.5) STRWCS MelanieM
Semper Fi by Keira Andrews (4.75) MelanieM
Sleigh Ride (Minnesota Christmas #2) by Heidi Cullinan (4.75) STRWCS MelanieM
Unjustified Claims (Hidden Wolves #3) by Kaje Harper, (4.75) STRWSNS PaulB
Wholehearted by Cate Ashwood Audio Book, Wholehearted by Cate Ashwood – Audiobook narrated by John Orr (4.5) STRWCS A Barb Review
3 to 3.75 Star Rating:

Billionaire with Benefits by Anne Tenino (3.25 stars) STRWCS MelanieM
Forgiving Thayne (True Mates #2) by J.R. Loveless (3.5) STRWSNS, MelanieM
Galactic Treasure (Earth Con #2) by Theodora Marie Adams (3) PaulB Review
Say Something by BA Tortuga (3 stars) STRWC MelanieM
Who Knows the Storm (The Vigilante #1) by Tere Michaels (3.25) STRWCUF

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:

Damaged Package by S.A. McAuley (2.75) STRWC A Mika Review

November 2014 Best of the Month Lists

 

 

 

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November 2014 Best Books and Covers

Best Books of November:

So many outstanding novels this month, it was a reader’s cornucopia of  goodness.  The Pulp Friction 2014 is represented by their penultimate stories.  Must have, must reads include Starstruck (a favorite book and series of Barb the Zany Old Lady), Manipulation by Eden Winters (Bo and Lucky are back), a historical romance by Keira Andrews sure to bring out the tissues, and one of the best short stories that should top everyones list, Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall.  Check them out below and the Best Covers of the Month as well.

Cold Day in Hell (In from the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil A MelanieM Review
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) (Pulp Friction 2014 #19) by Havan Fellows
Manipulation by Eden Winters
Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) (Pulp Friction 2014 #17) by Laura Harner,
Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall
Semper Fi by Keira Andrews (4.75)
Starstruck by L.A. Witt (5 stars) A Barb Zany Old Lady Review
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb
Then the Stars Fall by Brandon Witt
The Devil Lancer by Astrid Amara (5 stars) A MelanieM Review
The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye
Third Eye by Rick R. Reed
Under the Stars by Geoff Laughton  An Aurora YA Review

 

falls leaves 2Best Covers of November 2014

Key to Behliseth, artist Catt Ford
The Shearing Gun, artist Paul Richmond
Then The Stars Fall, artist Anne Cain

Third Eye, artist Aaron Anderson
Precious Metals, artist April Lee
Sand and Ruin and Gold, Artist Simone
Semper Fi, artist Dar Albert
Sleigh Ride, artist L.C. Chase
Circus of the Damned, artist Kanaxa

 

Third Eye cover

Sand and Gold and Ruin

Then the Stars Fall cover

The Shearing Gun cover

Precious Metals

 

 

 

 

 

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Sleigh Ride cover

Key of Behliseth

He’s Hot, He’s Sexy, He’s The Alpha King by Vicktor Alexander (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: The Alpha King
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Vicktor Alexander

I am thrilled to have Vicktor Alexander here in the author’s chair to talk about this intriquing new series from the inspiration to main story  elements.

Q.  The Alpha King  has a rather unique premise behind it, a sort of gay wolf shifters in space element.  Where did you get the inspiration for the concept?

Viktor: It’s really weird, honestly. With my books I live in a constant state of “What if?” And I found myself going, “What if the Earth was sentient and turned on humans because we were killing each other? Because of our hatred for each other? Our racism? Our inability to take care of her? What if there actually was life out there on other planets and they tried to warn us and we didn’t listen? And then, what if by they time they finally did, most of the human race had been killed off by Earth herself?” By that point my brain had already created this entire world, this entire series, and then I realized that humans wouldn’t be able to live on these other planets because of our lungs so we would have to breed with them and create new species, the humanoids, but then, because I’m a “what if” person, I wondered, what if there was one particular family whose genetic makeup gave them the ability to bring back the pure human race again? What would happen? Who would try to prevent that? And how would that happen? And The Alpha King was born. A book filled with shifters of all kinds, humanoids, scifi, monarchy, intrigue, angst, and lots of hot man sex.

Q.  The Alpha King rests on a plot narrative that meant your world building had to incorporate a wealth of information and back history.  From a dying world to prophesies to a planet of wolf shifters…that’s a lot of elements and back history to create and then fold into your story?  What or where did you draw from to create this foundation for your story?

Viktor: I think some of it came from Star Trek, LOL. I’m a HUGE Trekkie, fan. Some of it came from the dogma that my biological family used to spout at me, but I sort of flipped it on its head. Some of it came from just reality. The whole global warming thing. And I was extremely distressed when I heard a story about a transwoman being attacked in a McDonald’s bathroom and it was recorded. When I talked to a coworker about it, she said she understood and agreed with it! I was so brokenhearted about it and wondered if I was the only person. Then I wondered if the Earth were alive if it got tired of all the bullshit that we humans did to each other. So it was pretty much a number of different places that I drew from to get the world building. After that it was just a matter of sitting down and taking it planet by planet and creating languages, laws, history, etc. I’m so much of a history and sci-fi nerd that I wanted to make sure that it all worked together before I started writing.

Q.  Why science fiction?

Viktor: Because I’m a nerd? LOL. I like blending different genres together. And I didn’t want to just have the shifters on Earth. The entire premise of the series lay on humans being rescued by shifters from other planets, that was a science fiction element. Blame it on my Trekkieness. “To seek out new worlds and new civilizations…”

Q.  …and then why take wolf shifters, which I automatically think of as an “earth” oriented supernatural being, into space?

Viktor: Because I was always the kid who colored outside of the lines. I don’t like it when someone tells me that something has to be this way. I create the parameters, I create the lines and the boundaries. I am the Dom. My whole thing with writing has always been a “who said?” when people tell me I have to write something a particular way. “But vampires can’t walk in the daylight!” Who said? “But shifters have to be on Earth!” Who said? I write what my characters tell me to write and then when I cross some proverbial line that people say is there or I’m not in the box that people expect me to be in, I shrug and point at myself. I’m a multi-ethnic, transgender, gay male who is Messianic Jewish, a veteran of the United States Army, and a lot of other things. Nothing about me says “in the box.” Nothing about screams that I stay inside the lines. I spend my life pushing people’s boundaries because they want me to, I’m going to do it in my writing as well. LOL.

Q.  This book contains bdsm or elements of bdsm.  From the note included, it explains, rather succinctly, a little about the bdsm lifestyle plus a warning for those not in the lifestyle not to try this out without a trained professional.  Why do you feel that is so important?  Do you feel that your representation of aspects of the bdsm lifestyle come across as accurate?

Viktor: Well, seeing as how I was trained as a Dom for over a year and I have been in the BDSM Lifestyle for over 13 years now, I would say, pretty confidently that my representation of the Lifestyle is accurate. LOL. And yes, I do think that the warning at the beginning of the book is needed. Too often there are books that are published with aspects of the BDSM Lifestyle contained within them that do not contain a note of caution, and while most readers are not reading the book for anything other than entertainment, there may be some that decide to try out the actions or the scene within the story with someone who is not trained and may get hurt. Not only because they are not trained, but sometimes because the book that is published is written by someone who has not done any research into the Lifestyle, or it is written by someone who is not in the Lifestyle themselves. This worries me as a Dom, as an author, and as a caring individual. Not only does this put a mark on the BDSM/Kink community, but on the writing community as well. We put warnings at the front of books for anal sex, double penetration, and even humorous ones about virgins, or too stupid to live characters, but when a book contains BDSM, which prides itself on Safe, Sane, and Consensual, we have numerous books out there that do not hold any warning whatsoever. This, to me, is unacceptable, and I’ve had a number of readers and even other authors, who have emailed and private messaged me and asked me what I thought about different books, authors, and the lack of warnings in books, and because of that, I knew that I had to make sure that this warning was stated plainly in the front of this book. Thankfully, the other owners of Rooster & Pig Publishing, Inc. agreed with me.

Q.  With such an elaborate world building, do you plan more stories in this universe or a sequel to The Alpha King?

Viktor: Oh, absolutely! There are 5 other books planned for the Passion’s Hero series: The Beta Prince, The Epsilon Elder, The Gamma Guard, The Vermithian Consort, The Strawxigian Spy. And then there are 15 books planned for a spin-off series which follows the children born of the Passion’s Hero series in a series entitled: Love’s Savior.

Q.  Were you a prolific reader as a child? Was there one book or author who impacted you as a child whose influence has continued today?

Viktor: LOL. Yes I was. I was reading by the time I was 4 and by the time I was 10 I was reading William Shakespeare with comprehension. I would have to say that Langston Hughes and the book Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein were probably the biggest impacts on my childhood, after William Shakespeare, of course (I know, I know. I cheated.)
.
Q.  What’s next for Vicktor Alexander?

Viktor:  I’m finishing up The Servant Duchess Of Whitcomb which is the sequel to Groom Of Convenience which released from Dreamspinner Press on October 17th. Then I’ll be working on a short story for MLR Press. Then finishing up Daddy’s Boy for Rooster & Pig Publishing, Inc. Then there’s the next book in the Mistake’s series for Totally Bound Publishing Wonderful Mistake, and then there’s the Truth or Dare Anthology which will be self-published. But of course, I’m saying all of this and my muse may decide to change his mind and rearrange all of it as soon as I finish the short story for MLR. LOL.
Thanks so much for having me! –  -Vicktor Alexander

Part of a series?: Yes. This is book one in the Passion’s Hero series and subsequent books should be read in order.

Author Bio:

Vicktor “Vic” Alexander wrote his first story at the age of ten and hasn’t stopped writing since. He loves reading about anything and everything and is a proud member of the little known U.N. group (Undercover Nerds) because while he lives, eats, breathes, and sleeps sports, he also breathes history and science fiction and grew up a Trekkie. But don’t ask him about Dungeons & Dragons, because he has no idea how to play that game.

When it comes to writing he loves everything from paranormal to contemporary to fantasy to historical and is known not only for being the Epilogue King but also for writing stories that cross lines and boundaries that he doesn’t know are there.

Vic is a proud father of two daughters one of whom watches over him from Heaven with his deceased partner Christopher. Vic is a proud trans* and gay man, and when he is not writing, he is hanging out with his friends, or being distracted by videos of John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, and Shemar Moore. Vicktor has published numerous bestselling novels and has a WIP list that makes him exhausted just thinking about. He knows that he will be still be writing about hot men falling in love with each other, long after he is living in an assisted living facility, flirting with the hot, male nurses.

Author Contact: http://www.twitter.com/VVeeB

Publisher: Rooster & Pig PublishingThe Alpha King Cover Photo
Cover Artist: Vicktor Alexander

Sales Links:  Amazon UK  Amazon   ARe    Rooster & Pig Publishing

The Alpha King Blurb:

Centuries after the destruction of Earth, destiny is being fulfilled and plans are in motion to restore not only the Earth, but mankind, to its former glory. One family is fated to bring about this amazing destiny. One man puts it all in motion, the day he crashes on to the wolf-planet of Tumaro and met his mate. 

Talon Versuthion always knew that some kind of way, life was going to screw him over. His parents died when he was just a boy and he can’t remember a thing about them. He was adopted by a great family only to have them tell him that he is a Vermithian, one of the most despised humanoid species. Even worse than that? He has no idea that a prophecy was made about his family, one that mentions that someone from the Versuthion family will bring back a pure human race. And there are people out there who will stop at nothing to make sure that never happens. No matter what.

While on a delivery for the GPA with his adopted sister Josie, however, Tal’s space shuttle crashes onto Tumaro, the notorious wolf-shifter planet. Tal is lucky to be alive, though Josie can’t be found. He is desperate to find her, but destiny steps in and history is changed forever. Because the Alpha King of the planet, Blazell Roughshire, is Talon’s mate. And before the two men can even settle into their new relationship they must deal with conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and a centuries old plot to completely eradicate the human race. Will Blaze be able to keep his mate safe from those who would see him dead? Is Tal truly the only one left from his family who can fulfill this centuries old prophecy? And can Tal, who has made it a point to never fall in love with anyone, open his heart and let Blaze be Passion’s hero?

Warning: This book contains references to abuse, rape, torture, and violence. It also 
contains hot sex between a young man with an affinity for celebrities that may sound familiar to 
you and his hot possessive Alpha mate. This is a R&P Whips & Chains novel which means the 
story contains BDSM elements. BDSM is a Lifestyle and while certain elements of it are not 
dangerous, please do not engage in any part of the BDSM Lifestyle without a trained 
professional on-hand.(This is a re-edited, re-published novel. The publisher has been changed. 
Over 22,500 words have been added to the original)

Categories: Alternate Universe, BDSM, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction

The Alpha King Excerpt:

“Where the hell are my clothes? More than that. Where the hell is my sister?” Talon yelled, pulling the bedcovers up to his chin.

Blazell laughed heartily, not at all deterred by his mate’s little freak-out. “Your clothes 
were destroyed in your accident, my love. I took the liberty of removing the hospital gown you 
wore when I brought you here to our bedroom,” he stated with amusement.

“Our bedroom?” Talon questioned in a small, hesitant voice, quivering with fear and shock.

“Yes, love, our bedroom. Where we will sleep and make love, more so the latter than the 
former.” He didn’t know how to respond about the man’s sister. He hadn’t heard anything about there being anyone else found at the crash. He would fully admit he was being rather selfish at the moment and only wanted to focus on his mate’s well-being and Talon’s sudden appearance in his life. Once they were fully bonded, Blazell would look into Talon’s missing sister. Blazell knew that made him an asshole, but, at the moment, he couldn’t bring himself and his wolf to feel ashamed.

Talon shook his head in bewilderment. “But you don’t even know me, and I certainly don’t know you!”

“My soul knows yours, my heart embraces yours, and my life and I were made for you as 
yours was made for me. I know you in the deepest parts of me, even though my mind may not,”Blazell declared. “You were made for me,” he said as he placed his hands on either side of his 
mate’s face, his thumbs delicately caressing Talon’s cheeks. “As I was made for you.”

Words/Pages: 92,505 words, 258 pages

Tour Dates/Tour Stops:

TAKBadgeTour Dates/Tour Stops:

1-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Tara Lain

2-Dec

MM Good Book Reviews

Carly’s Book Reviews

Amanda C. Stone

3-Dec

Queer Town Abbey

EE Montgomery

Cate Ashwood

My Fiction Nook

Love Bytes
Queer Town Abbey

4-Dec

Multitasking Mommas

Fallen Angel Reviews

Inked Rainbow Reads

5-Dec

Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons

Molly Lolly

Parker Williams 

Contest:  Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the link provided for all additional contest details and for the entry form.

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