Category: M/M Supernatural Fiction

A MelanieM Review: Echoes by LA Ashton

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

After one thousand years of listless eternity, Oskar is used to his particular brand of loneliness. But a long walk through middle America and a few chance encounters will lead him straight to a man he’d known to be long since dead―his childhood best friend, Aranck.

Being undead hasn’t stopped Aran from living life to the fullest. He has all the money and power his charm and business savvy could earn him, and plenty of friends. Lately, though, something seems to be missing. After a millennium, perhaps the world’s shine has worn off—and that’s when Oskar stumbles back into his life, reminding him of who he used to be.

Together the two vampires remember what it felt like to live, all the while navigating a conflict with the local pack of werewolves. A lot has changed in a thousand years, and only time will tell if those changes will bring Oskar and Aranck closer together, or ensure they remain apart.

It’s rare that a story with vampires and werewolves can offer up a new narrative slant on both but Echoes by L.A. Aston does, and with a story full of jaw dropping, mind spinning, never saw that coming stunning twists.  Do I love this story?  Why yes I do!

“A thousand years weren’t enough to forget him.”

There are soooo many elements here to love.  First off, let’s start with the two main characters.  They have been separated for hundreds and hundreds  of years, each thinking the other has died.  One a Viking, the other an Algonquin Indian, both now over thousand years old.

Oh, my, the world building here is extraordinary.  Their backstory, which will slowly be revealed throughout the novel, intense scene after scene, as we get their history together, and then their years apart is rich in detail,  and  incredibly emotional. This along with the ability to connect  us intimately with the action and immediate reality of whatever is taking place.  Whether it be wonder or more like it, horror. and loss, makes us feel so much a part of their story that we can’t bring ourselves to put down the book.

Indeed, my Kindle was clasped tightly in hand until the story was done and then sometime after as I didn’t want to let them go.

And now the longing and feeling of ‘rightness” now that they have reconnected?  Just amazing.  Along with a slow burn and UST because, they never got around to that first kiss no matter how deep the love each carries for the other.

Plus one, Oskar, has been a wanderer and the other, Aranck/Aran, has been tied to one place as he’s now got his own District to control and a peace between vampires, humans and weres to keep in place.  An attack on a local pack threatens to undo all Aran has accomplished with his treaty.  But now with Oskar returned and at his side, as a sort of second-in-command, Aranck feels settled and alive again.

Told from a few perspectives, and beautifully done, because you are only hearing from a small number of voices (no spoilers), it enhances the story, the relationships , and the atmosphere the author is going for.

The author’s characters, all of them, from the main couple, to all the various secondary and sundry other personalities are all so well done.  They are all equally crafted with care, given depth, back histories, unique voices, and temperaments.  Doesn’t matter whether it’s a vampire bartender that “feels”  too human or a hot-headed were, you believe in them and their actions wholly for as long or as little time that they are on the page.

But the true story and power belongs to Oskar and Aranck.  Their history together, what they endured, their journey back to each other, and, their love.

Oh, yes, and, for that double dose of cherry on the top?  Several stunning twists as well.  I really hope that all the reviewers keep these under wraps, it would be a shame to spoil them for any reader.

I could read this over and over again.  And never get enough of this world and couple.

So of course, I had to write the author after I finished and ask if they had considered making this a series.   Because it’s just that amazing and there are just enough open possibilities at the end to support one, and the answer is yes.  Ashton is considering it.  So I’m holding my breath for more.   After reading this, I believe you will be too.

So yes, I highly recommend Echoes by L.A. Ashton to all lovers of supernatural romance and mystery fiction.  It’s purely fantastic.  You love vampires and werewolves?  This is for you.

Cover art: Natasha Snow.  Natasha Snow once again delivers on a  gorgeous and haunting cover that’s perfect for the story within.  Such an amazing artist.

Sales Links:  NineStar Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published February 25th 2019 by Ninestar Press (first published September 19th 2017)
ISBN 139781950412082
Edition Language English

 

In Our Supernatural Spotlight: ECHOES by LA Ashton

Echoes by L.A. Ashton

Cover Art: Natasha Snow

February 25th 2019 by Ninestar Press

Sales Links:  NineStar Press | Amazon

Blurb

After one thousand years of listless eternity, Oskar is used to his particular brand of loneliness. But a long walk through middle America and a few chance encounters will lead him straight to a man he’d known to be long since dead―his childhood best friend, Aranck.

Being undead hasn’t stopped Aran from living life to the fullest. He has all the money and power his charm and business savvy could earn him, and plenty of friends. Lately, though, something seems to be missing. After a millennium, perhaps the world’s shine has worn off—and that’s when Oskar stumbles back into his life, reminding him of who he used to be.

Together the two vampires remember what it felt like to live, all the while navigating a conflict with the local pack of werewolves. A lot has changed in a thousand years, and only time will tell if those changes will bring Oskar and Aranck closer together, or ensure they remain apart.

About the Author

L. A. Ashton is an LGBT+ author writing LGBT+ fiction. They were born and raised between neat grids of corn and soybean fields. They enjoy rock music, traveling, and anything else that adds color to their daydreams. They believe in the healing properties of art and of having a cat firmly stationed on one’s lap.
Email: Contact@LAAshton.com
Twitter: @LAAshton_

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: The Case of the Arms Dealers (Kanaan & Tilney #1) by Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

This is urban fantasy with Elementals, Beasts, Psychogenics, Necromorphs, and Terrans living alongside humans without them knowing. John Tilney is an author wanting to shadow the PI, Lowell Kanaan, for help with research for a book. Lowell is willing to have a free office assistant, but is slow to let John really be involved with his cases.

Although told Lowell has “gritty, noir-detective glory,” he wasn’t actually physically described for awhile, so he was difficult to picture in the beginning. There is a good description of John as Lowell meets him, but not one of Lowell when the POV is switched. John is guileless, honest, and in some ways socially awkward, but certainly not shy. His directness and persistence seem to usually get him what he wants. He finally figures out he wants Lowell. Although self described as demisexual, he jumped right into sexual attraction with Lowell. The sex scenes are smoking hot. In fact, early on the plot was thin and with those scenes I thought it was just going to be erotic romance. Then, the actual cases start to be interesting.

A man reports his neighbor missing. As they look into his whereabouts, they notice others missing as well. The (supernatural) police aren’t looking into it. In fact, their other client is a women being stalked and the police don’t seem to care about her case either. Lowell is the real hero here, working hard once it’s clear there is something wrong, whether he gets paid or not. As the suspect list gets longer, this is no longer about John writing a book, but finding a killer. John and Lowell have fallen into a work relationship and a romantic relationship easily. When John’s life gets threatened and Lowell gets overprotective, the easy camaraderie falls apart. John’s contacts have helped with the case, but he’s not a PI. Lowell, as a former cop, is now unsure how to make this work. They use actual words to work it out–yay for communication!

The side characters aren’t really fleshed out yet: like John’s mother or his neighbor Macy, and Lowell’s friend Mina. The Zombie Mafia boss Tony was interesting, as was his right hand person, Serafina. There is also very little made of the fact Lowell is a Beast (lupine) and John is a Psychogenic (pyrokinetic). I’m hoping the next book expands these characters and shows us more about the praeternatural factions. I ended up enjoying this and wanted to know more about everything. This is a very good first book in a series and the guys are adorable together.

The cover was designed by Aisha Akeju. It’s striking and a clever play on “pounding the pavement” to look for clues, noirish but with color. The zombie hand made me laugh.

Sales Links:  Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 204 pages
Published January 15th 2019 by Less Than Three Press, LLC (first published October 27th 2015)
ASIN B07MTY62FD
Edition Language English
Series Kanaan & Tilney #1

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audio Review: Magic Runs Deep by Alex Whitehall and Adam R Watson (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I really enjoyed this story. An unusual shifter tale, in this one Veier (rhymes with bear) has been chained to a king’s throne and kept in his bear shifter form for five years. He’s freed when the kingdom is overthrown, but the new king wants him executed and it’s his brother, Elrid, who saves Veier’s life. Elrid is a powerful mage and he rightly points out that the chain indicates Veier was not necessarily loyal to the previous rulers.

But it takes patience and trial and error before Veier is trusted enough to be let outside the room where Elrid works and sleeps with him as the two begin to build trust. He has brief moments of freedom but always seems to be in the wrong place when trouble occurs. He and Elrid become close as he slowly starts to trust that this human may really not wish him harm.

When Elrid is severely injured in an attack by the previous king’s followers, it’s Veier who risks not only his freedom, but his life, to go to Elrid and use his own life force to help Elrid recover and regain his strength. 

I liked the way the author created Veier’s character as a very rough, gruff, hard to get to know man, yet one who we definitely want to get to know and cheer for as he slowly grows from the bear who reacts before thinking to the man who feels all levels of emotion.  Elrid was the strong, silent type—the kind of man with enough patience to wait out Veier’s slow buildup of trust. 

The narrator did a good job with unique vocalizations for each man. If I had one peeve it would be that the MC’s name, Veier, rhymed with bear and he’s a bear shifter. Perhaps the narrator mispronounced it. Or perhaps the author never read the book out loud.  In either event, it caused confusion on several occasions when I was listening as I wasn’t quite sure which word was being used. And at some points in the story, when it was important to know Veier was in bear or in human form, it was frustrating.

Other than that, this is a definite recommendation to my fellow MM romance readers.  Most definitely not insta-love, this is a slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers story with a unique shifter slant. 

The cover by Shayne Leighton features a close-up of a bearded man, hand under chin, and a bear paw print with the title of the story superimposed over it. Very nicely done.

Sales LInks:  Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audio Book Details:

Audiobook
Published October 24th 2018 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 9th 2018)
Original Title Magic Runs Deep
Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Fire and Ink (Kitten and Witch #2) by K.L. Noone

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Three months ago David Stanton rescued a runaway kitten in the rain. Now he’s got a scandalous feline shapeshifter living in his house, helping with his white-witch business, and making him smile. David is falling in love fast, but there’s still the problem of Colin’s past—and the secrets he’s obviously keeping…

Another enjoyable story with Colin and David.  I’m glad that these two have found a life together since the first book, however they need to communicate a little bit better.

I felt for both David and Colin as they both felt they weren’t enough for the other, though for different reasons.  David is afraid Colin is just grateful for his help months ago while Colin is afraid he isn’t good enough for the good witch.  It takes an extreme situation to get them to actually open up about their feelings but it does the trick.  I’m so glad the Colin isn’t scare to help David given how he was used in the past.  I am enjoying these short stories and look forward to hopefully more glimpses into their life together.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is another cute one though, it’s strange for Colin to have changed colors.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 16,000 words

Published: November 28, 2018 by Less Than Three Press

ISBN: 9781684313730

Edition Language: English

Series: Kitten & Witch #2

Charlie Cochrane on Her Fav Reads and her new release Old Sins (Lindenshaw Mysteries #4) by Charlie Cochrane (author guest post, tour and giveaway)

Old Sins (Lindenshaw Mysteries #4) by Charlie Cochrane

Riptide Publishing
Cover Art: L.C. Chase

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Charlie Cochrane back again talking about the latest releases in her Lindenshaw Mysteries, Old Sins.  Welcome, Charlie.

 

🐾

 

 

What Charlie likes to read

Do you have a favourite book? I have many, in all sorts of genres. “The Charioteer” if we’re talking gay fiction, “Death at the President’s Lodging” if it’s mysteries, “Three Men in a Boat” for humour; the list goes on and on through different genre, fictional and non-fiction. Some of these books are a bit of a guilty pleasure, not least because I can see their flaws.

I’m a huge fan of classic age mystery writers; Dorothy, Agatha, Michael, Ngaio and the rest, but they have their feet of clay. Sayers could sometimes overcomplicate plots to the point of obscurity (which reader could really have worked out the sequence of events in Five Red Herrings?) and seems increasingly in love with her detective, Lord Peter Wimsey.  All of these authors shared a falling of their powers in later life – the last few Appleby mysteries are a pale shadow of the early ones – and, of course, all were products of their time, so modern readers might fund things which jar, such as anti-semitic references or the treatment of gay characters in a derogatory way.

Some of these authors reused plot ideas and devices. The classic story of the murderer assuming someone else’s identity, sometimes to benefit from inheritance, occurs again and again with Christie (as do other tried and tested story arcs). Marsh also showed an economy of plot, using the same method of murder both in a short story and again in a full novel. Her “Death and the Dancing Footman” falls into the category of “familiar plot” – the twist is the sort that an avid reader of the genre would soon spot –  but that doesn’t make it any less of a delightful comfort read. A sort of literary equivalent of mulled wine in front of a roaring fire.

The book has several of the staple elements of the archetypal classic age mystery: a country house, a house party cut off by snow, family rivalries, a sealed room death, an outsider who acts as ‘chorus’ and a witty, urbane and aristocratic sleuth, Roderick Alleyn. How I love “Handsome Alleyn” – I wonder if Ngaio loved him, too, like Sayers loved Wimsey. He seems just a bit too perfect at times.

That’s why I’m determined to show that neither of my male leads in the Lindenshaw series are anything less than human. They get angry, they make mistakes, they argue with each other, they make up, they talk about work, they refuse to talk about work…just like any of us. I’m also determined not to fall in love with either of them, although how can I resist falling head over heels for their dog Campbell?

A detective, his boyfriend and their dog. That’s the Lindenshaw mysteries in a nutshell. Old Sins is the fourth instalment in the series, and not only does Robin have a murder to investigate, he and Adam have got the “little” matter of their nuptials to start planning. And, of course, Campbell the Newfoundland gets his cold wet nose into things, as usual.

 

About Old Sins

Past sins have present consequences.

Detective Chief Inspector Robin Bright and his partner, deputy headteacher Adam Matthews, have just consigned their summer holiday to the photo album. It’s time to get back to the daily grind, and the biggest problem they’re expecting to face: their wedding plans. Then fate strikes—literally—with a bang.

Someone letting loose shots on the common, a murder designed to look like a suicide, and the return of a teacher who made Robin’s childhood hell all conspire to turn this into one of his trickiest cases yet.

Especially when somebody might be targeting their Newfoundland, Campbell. Robin is used to his and Adam’s lives being in danger, but this takes the—dog—biscuit.

Available now from Riptide Publishing.

 

About the Lindenshaw Mysteries

Adam Matthews’s life changed when Inspector Robin Bright walked into his classroom to investigate a murder.

Now it seems like all the television series are right: the leafy villages of England do indeed conceal a hotbed of crime, murder, and intrigue. Lindenshaw is proving the point.

Detective work might be Robin’s job, but Adam somehow keeps getting involved—even though being a teacher is hardly the best training for solving crimes. Then again, Campbell, Adam’s irrepressible Newfoundland dog, seems to have a nose for figuring things out, so how hard can it be?

Check out the Lindenshaw Mysteries.

 

About Charlie Cochrane

Because Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her mystery novels include the Edwardian era Cambridge Fellows series, and the contemporary Lindenshaw Mysteries. Multi-published, she has titles with Carina, Riptide, Endeavour and Bold Strokes, among others.

A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.

Connect with Charlie:

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Old Sins one lucky person will win a swag bag from Charlie! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 16, 2019. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

An Alisa Review: Port in a Storm (Kitten and Witch #1) by K.L. Noone

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Colin is not having the best time lately, being a runaway shifter with a less than stellar reputation, hiding beneath a car in the pouring rain hoping to evade the angry warlock looking for him.

David’s had a long day; being the local white witch and healer is a worthwhile occupation, but it’s rarely an easy one. When he spies a stray kitten under his car, he figures he’ll be able to rescue at least one living thing that night…

I enjoyed this story.  It was so great to see Colin find a safe place after what he had gone through.  David is just an all-around good guy and brings warmth to Colin.

I felt for Colin and how he had been trapped the last few months but also how he has felt the need to seek attention.  David had always admired Colin from afar and once he finds out who his kitten is offers protection.  I loved how safe David made Colin feel and how he gives Colin to chance to actually be himself.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is adorable and I love the picture of Colin when David found him.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 13,000 words

Published: December 20, 2017 by Less Than Three Press

ISBN: 9781684311293

Edition Language: English

Series: Kitten & Witch #1