Release Blitz for The Selkie Prince’s Unexpected Omega (The Royal Alphas #3) by J.J. Masters (excerpt)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: The Selkie Prince’s Unexpected Omega

Series: The Royal Alphas, Book 3

Author: J.J. Masters

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Megan Parker of EmCat Designs

Genre/s: Contemporary Romance (PNR/Gay/mpreg)

Length: 58 368 words/240 pages

It’s a standalone story within a series

Add on Goodreads

 

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US 

Amazon UK 

 

Blurb

An alpha claim. A possible heir. A Selkie prince whose mistake might just be what the fates intended.

Zale, the third alpha-born son of King Solomon, is concerned. His youngest brother, Caol, has been spending time with an unbonded omega. Being a responsible alpha, Zale feels it’s his duty to warn the omega Finn before he and Caol get into trouble. Especially since Finn had only been brought to the colony by their father in case his oldest brother’s fated mate couldn’t conceive. However, when Zale goes to Finn’s quarters to have a word with him, he isn’t expecting to discover what he does: the omega in the throes of oestrus and begging for an alpha’s assistance.

Finn has nowhere else to go. Not only unwanted by his own family, his previous alpha perished in a tragic accident. So for the past two years, the omega has relied on the King of the North’s generosity, even if it means he may end up as a surrogate for one of the alpha-born princes. Or even worse, the king’s sixth mate. But when the Prince Zale comes upon him during his heat, Finn demands relief from the alpha. Although afterward, has to live with the guilt. Now, he might not only be carrying the prince’s son, he may have very well ruined Zale’s chance to find his true fated mate…

Note: A 58k-plus word m/m shifter mpreg story, this is the third book in the Royal Alpha series. Due to the “knotty” times in this book, it is recommended for mature readers only. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s recommended to read the series in order. And, like all of my books, it has an HEA.

 

 

Excerpt

Zale’s jaw was tight and his teeth gritted as he waited in the hall outside of Finn’s quarters.

He knocked again. This time more loudly using the heel of his fist, since, apparently, his knuckles weren’t getting the job done.

The alpha-born prince was losing his patience, which he usually had an abundance of. Just not today. Especially since the visiting omega, Finn, had been seen sneaking off with Zale’s youngest brother Caol.

Which was dangerous.

Particularly since Caol was considered a Selkie slut. What humans would call a man-ho. He loved to rut with anyone who would let him, be it Selkie, human or hybrid. Most likely any male with a cock swinging between his legs.

Hell, he probably rutted with other species of shifters.

But even so, it brought Zale back to the problem at hand. He and his brothers had told their father, the King of the North, that he should send Finn away. Return the omega to his own colony. That he was no longer needed here at the Northern colony. But his father hadn’t listened.

No surprise there.

They all suspected that King Solomon had considered taking the omega for himself.

But a whole two years had passed since the King first brought Finn to the castle, so it made no sense for the unbonded male to remain. His father needed to shit or get off the pot. Either take Finn as his own to bear more sons or send the poor omega home so he could find an alpha of his very own.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a fated mate waiting for Finn anywhere. His supposed alpha had been killed and eaten by an orca during their bonding swim from what Zale understood.

None of them had ever asked Finn about it because neither Zale or his brothers wanted to know those cringe-worthy details and they also were inclined to avoid him since he was an unbonded male. Again, being around an unbonded omega could be dangerous.

However, Caol tended to be reckless. If the omega came into heat, Caol would most likely be the proud father of a future pup. Zale could just imagine how the king’s head would spin at that news.

So, Zale needed to nip whatever was going on between Finn and Caol in the bud. For his youngest brother’s sake and also for Finn’s. If the omega had the urge to rut, he could do so with some of the betas the king kept on hand for that purpose. Nothing stopped Finn from taking a beta lover, especially since his corona membrane was no longer intact.

But an alpha? No. He could not rut with an alpha that was not his mate.

That was against Selkie law.

Caol knew that. As did Finn.

Therefore, Zale was being a good older brother and trying to head off a disaster.

Or that’s what he told himself.

Yes, he was protecting not only Caol but this omega… who continued to live among a castle-full of alphas even though that was unsafe.

He stared at the heavy wood door and cursed. Why wasn’t Finn answering?

He leaned closer and shouted, “Finn! Are you in there? Open your door.”

Zale listened carefully. Nothing.

He was done knocking. He had announced his presence and now it was time to take the next step…

Into the omega’s quarters.

 

About the Author 

J.J. Masters is the alter-ego of a USA Today bestselling author who writes hot, gay romance filled with heart, humor and heat. J.J. became fascinated with mpreg romance as soon as she figured out what mpreg stood for. She loves to write about “knotty” men!

You can join JJ’s FB Group here: https://www.facebook.com/JJMastersAuthor/  or her newsletter here: https://bit.ly/2E2zcaB to keep up with exclusive content and news.

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audio Review: P.S. I Spook You by S.E. Harmon and Noah Michael Levine (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

From the blurb: SA Rain Christiansen used to be the agency’s golden boy. It just takes one moment of weakness, one slight, tiny, itty-bitty paranormal sighting, and all of a sudden he’s the agency’s embarrassment. His boss gives him one last chance to redeem himself—go down to Brickell Bay, play nice with the local police, and leave the ghost sightings behind. Rain is determined to do exactly that, even if it kills him. Cold-case detective Daniel McKenna’s latest investigation is going nowhere fast. Five years earlier, high school student Amy Greene went missing after leaving her part-time job and was never seen again. Daniel is glad to finally have the FBI help that his department requested, even if it does come in the form of his ex. It doesn’t help that Rain is pretty sure he’s falling in love with Danny all over again—if he ever stopped. Add to that the frustration of seeing ghosts at every turn while he works a case that’s stalled in its tracks, and Rain is starting to wonder if second chances and happy endings are just for fairy tales.

This was a great story with an established couple who drifted apart and are thrown together by work circumstances, one reluctant medium—FBI SA Rain Christiansen, and cold-case detective Daniel McKenna, who still loves Rain but not his ability to see ghosts. 

The story has so much potential with more than one ghost making requests of Rain whose friends and former lover all seem to think he’s lost his mind. One cold case provides the main plot substance as Rain is visited by the victim’s ghost who leads him to her car hidden in the Everglades. Explain that to his boss and his lover? No way do they understand. There’s a lot of push-pull on the romance and plenty of suspects. Of course, Rain is the type of self-willed character who leaps before he looks, landing him in deep trouble. I liked the plot and the dynamic between Rain and Daniel, as well as Rain’s snarky, humorous attitude.

What pulled the story down a notch for me was the narration. When the speaker wasn’t identified in the dialogue, I couldn’t really tell who was speaking until I figured it out based on what was said. In other words, the narration wasn’t good. The narrator didn’t have enough distinction between the voices of the two MCs. He also mispronounced words, though that’s minor in comparison to the major issue of having two similar voices. I was frequently lost, and though I found the story interesting, I feel sad that I didn’t enjoy it as much as my friends who read the e-book seemed to. So, though I can recommend the story to those who enjoy a mix of romance and mystery, I don’t recommend the audio version.

The cover features two young men kissing in the upper pane while in the bottom pane of the cover a young girl stands with her back to the camera—a great representation of the missing girl.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible |

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, Unabridged, 9 pages
Published October 23rd 2018 by Tantor Audio (first published June 12th 2017)
Original Title P.S. I Spook You
Edition Language English setting Miami, Florida (United States)
Florida (United States)

An Alisa Review: The Last Prince by Shawn Bailey

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Empress Mun-Hee Yi is dying of cancer. And for the last twenty years she has been living in Manhattan, NY after seeking asylum for her and her four-year-old grandson Ji-Sung Yi since her husband and Ji-Sung’s parents were assassinated by her nephew Eun-So Yi in a coup to take over the throne.

Since learning about her illness, Ji-Sung has been helping his grandmother with her bucket list. There were just two things left. Number 99 is for them to return to their native land, and number 100 is that she wants to be buried beside her husband Emperor Si-Woo on the grounds of the Blue Palace. As luck would have it Eun-So Yi is executed for his crimes but Ji-Sung hopes number 100 won’t happen for a long, long time. Unbeknownst to him, Mun-Hee has another thing on her list…to see that her grandson find love and to settle down.

This was an okay story, though I’m not sure how I feel about a grandma setting up her grandson and pushing someone to him.  Ji-Sung is being thrown into the life he was meant to live but luckily has great people to support and help him.

The way this story was written didn’t allow much connection to the characters.  We do see parts of the story from different points of view it just seemed as if from a distance.  In the end I am not totally sure how I feel about Ji-Sung and Kyung-Soon’s relationship and how it seems to be hidden.

The cover art by Melody Pond is nice and gives a nice view of Ji-Sung’s new home.

Sales Links: MLR Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 11,000 pages

Published: October 25, 2018 by MLR Books

ISBN: 978-1-64122-2013

Edition Language: English

A MelanieM New Release Review: Owned by Fate (Dragon Soul #5) by Sean Michael

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

 

The Beteferoce brothers: five dragon shifters, each with a strong elemental power and a destiny that will not be denied.

Dr. Mike Beteferoce turned his back on magic long ago. His heart broke and his desire for a soul mate disappeared. When he sees his family crest branded above Corryn’s heart, his first instinct is to flee. The last thing he wants now is a Fae interfering in his life—especially one who has already rejected him.

But fate has other plans.

Corryn knows Mike is his soul mate, has known since the sigil was branded on his skin centuries ago. Long before Mike came to him as a studly young dragon just entering his prime. It was far too early for them to be together then, but now their time has come.

But despite their draw to each other, Corryn doesn’t believe Mike can accept him for who—and what—he is. Mike must breathe life into their bond—loving Corryn as both soul mate and Fae—if they are to fulfill their destiny

In what I assumes is the finale for the Dragon Soul series,Owned by Fate (Dragon Soul #5) by Sean Michael gives us the last story of the fifth Beteferoce dragon brother.  He’s the one that has been missing from the other brother’s stories, a mere mention in passing of a brother who never comes to close into the new family dynamics that is happening.  Each brother has been finding his mate, drawn in part through a tattoo placed there by Corryn, an elf long in service to the Beteferoce family.  But we never knew exactly what  Mike or Corryn’s story was. Now we get both because they are fiercely intertwined as we should have suspected.

In a  deeply satisfying finale, we learn the origin of Corryn’s role with the Beteferoce brothers, the magical tattoos he’s used to draw each mate to each brother, and his own back history with Mike.  In one section, it’s unbelievably painful, enough to draw tears, I’ve come to care that much for Corryn over the series.  All the brothers and their mates for that matter, so it’s an enormous plus that we get the inclusion of all the couples here at the end for the big finale.

I loved the section with all the mated pairs flying together as I could see it so clearly.  My only wish is that this book was twice as long.  Half for the couple to figure their relationship and the rest to all come together to untangle the lore surrounding them  and their mates and the resolution.

But I will be happy with Owned by Fate. It supplied me with the answers to the questions raised in the other stories, all the brothers appeared with their mates and got their HEA, and a lovely finale!  Sigh!  Dragons are definitely a weakness of mine and Sean Michael’s series checked all the boxes.  If you love sexy men, kinky hot scenes, and dragons this is the series for you!

Cover art is nice, brands the series and is eye catching.

Sales Links:  Carina Press | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 234 pages
Published December 3rd 2018 by Carina Press
ASIN B07DCTM62M
Edition Language English
Series Dragon Soul

 

Series:

Branded by Flames

Seduced by the Tide

Bound by Thorns

Born of Air

Owned by Fate

An Alisa Review: Surreal Estate by Jesi Lea Ryan

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

 

Sasha Michaels is a psychic with an affinity for houses. And he’s homeless. Go figure. After months of sleeping rough, he stumbles upon an abandoned house, and the lonely place beckons him inside. He’s finally safe . . . until someone comes blundering in to his hideaway.

 

House-flipper Nick Cooper lost everything in the recession. Desperate to revive his business, he turns to a loan shark to fund his comeback project: flipping an abandoned house full of potential. But it turns out the house has an unexpected occupant.

 

Nick and Sasha make a deal: Sasha can stay in exchange for helping with the renovation. To both of their surprise, the closer they get to the loan shark’s due date, the stronger their feelings for each other grow. Problem is, Nick isn’t the only one with feelings for Sasha, and now the house doesn’t want to let Sasha go.

 

I really liked this story and once I got into it, I was hooked.  Sasha has been down on his luck for a while and lovely house that just needs some love calls to him.  Nick wants to make a comeback in the house flipper sector but finds much more with his new purchase.

 

Nick gives Sasha a chance at maybe finally getting out of the rut he is in while also offering him the support he lost when his grandfather passed away.  Sasha is the one person who unconditionally believes that Nick can accomplish what he is doing but doesn’t like the way he is making it happen.

 

I liked both of these characters.  Sasha just makes you want to wrap him up in a hug and make him feel better but he also has some stubbornness that does him good to.  Nick is so sure he can make it work, he just has to jump through some hoops to do it.  I love that they support each other and both help the other out in the ways that count the most.

 

Cover art by Lou Harper is great and I really like visuals it gives for the story

 

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 271 pages

Published: November 5, 2018 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-62649-854-9

Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: Best in Show by Kelly Jensen

 

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Solitary mystery writer Julian Wilkes doesn’t want a pet, but his sister persuades him to visit Lingwood Animal Rescue, where he is immediately taken with a large ginger tabby cat. Before he can settle into the joys of cat ownership, however, he discovers something very unusual about his new companion.

Macavity Birch is cursed. By day he is a large tabby cat. At night he can be himself—a human male with ginger hair and oddly yellow eyes. He didn’t mean to end up in the animal rescue, but he never meant any harm when playing the prank that resulted in his curse, either. Happily, Julian adopts him. But while exploring his host’s home, he discovers the diary of a long-dead relative.

Unfortunately, not all of Mac’s ancestors are dead and buried. His great-great-great-grandmother is very much alive, and she’s a powerful witch who doesn’t take kindly to the sharing of family secrets. When Mac reveals himself to Julian in order to save him from bigger trouble, he achieves just the opposite, plunging Julian deeper into a magical mystery with him.

I found Kelly Jensen through her This Time Forever series, each novel built around a family structure, be it decades old home or lodge in the Catskills.  I love those stories so when Best in Show popped up as a discounted read I grabbed it.

Totally different in theme and characters, I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag narratively speaking.  I thought the idea was very cute and had a lot of promise.  In fact, some of the promise was delivered in the comedic elements within the story.

The reason that cat shifter Macavity Birch has been cursed is totally due to his lack of judgement, inability to grow up, and yes, warped sense of humor.  He entered himself into a cat show (with his cousin as his handler) and left with all the awards! Best in Show indeed!  The fact that it drew unusual attention to an “unknown entry” who blew everyone who had practiced and worked so hard for those awards out of the water?  Hmmm, he didn’t think of that.  Nor the risks of exposing his family of witches and shifters to the world . A definite no no. So boom cursed, picked as a stray and brought into the local shelter.

Add to that Julian Wilkes, mystery writer, and  potential shut-in. Bullied by his sister into adopting a dog as a companion, he ends up with a cat that acts strangely.

The main issue with is with the characters themselves.  Macavity has a major case of arrested development.  He never thinks about the consequences of his actions.  He acts and leaves, often with a mess behind him.  You totally buy that about this character so any change and what that might mean for him is harder to accept.  It also makes the ending seem unrealistic, honestly.Julian Wilkes shows the most growth in his willingness to not only accept a cat into his life, but to come to care about it as well as the man he meets at the same time.  Julian shows strength of character whether facing down his sister or Mac’s relatives, or the loss of his dream.  I felt that loss for him as well.

I did like the fact the Jensen threw in the idea of what happens to Mac’s “equipment” to keep it safe since most shelters are spay/neuter.  Here she answers that question.  Magically of course!

I think that perhaps Best in Show had so much potential in its characters and theme but for me it came up short.  I felt there wasn’t enough time to develop a realistic relationship for Mac and Julian to have a solid foundation to go forward on and too many other things are left unanswered.  But the idea of a cat shifter entering himself in a cat show and the sheer joy of winning event after event?  Hilarious. I wish we  would have had a scene or two of that!

Cover art:  Alexandria Corza.  That’s an adorable cover, complete with Julian and Mac.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 87 pages
Published July 27th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634774760 (ISBN13: 9781634774765)
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL

Into the Holidays We Go and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Into the Holidays We Go and Oh What Our Lists Will Bring!

It’s official, we’re in December, the last month of the year.  The beginning of the winter celebrations where we see the longest night of the year, the bonfires light to drive the darkness away and the return of increasing daylight, one minute at a time.  We acknowledge the passing of the old and the arrival of the new.  We reflect and look forward.  A time of straddling the boundaries between what has gone the year past and what we will make of the time that’s coming.

As with all things we’ve had our incredible highs and unexpected lows in losses this year.  Authors who’s passing has left us a much smaller and poorer community.  I’ll talk about that later this month.

I want to also remember all the wonderful authors, and their stories, the cover artists and their work, on books we loved this year.  It’s so hard to winnow it down into lists.

How do you compare an  outstanding cozy mystery series with a violinist with autism with a soaring SciFy masterpiece about a sentient spaceship?  Can’t possibly go in the same category and do both authors justice!  Or the finale of a urban fantasy that  reads like a nerd’s list of wanna’s but has been constructed ever so carefully  amidst careening mind blown action.  Do you throw that in against a book with deeply drawn portraits of lovers in a contemporary romance?  No, again, I think not.

Plus we have some outstanding 5 star holiday stories that surely deserve their own category?  How to divide up the list into sections without going crazy?

Hmmmm.

Thoughts anyone?

Anyhow, I’m working on that and lists will be soon rolling out.  Let me have a few of your Best of 2018.  We will be awarding some gift certificates just because it’s December for those who participate.

 

Happy Reading, get those  lists in, and check out all the stories we have coming at you this week!

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

 

Sunday, December 2:

  • Release Blitz – Saving Jax by L.M. Brown
  • Blog Tour for Drawn  to You by Jaclyn Quinn
  • Closer by F.E. Feeley, Jr Book Blast
  • A Barb The Zany Old Lady Advent Calendar Review:That Turtle Story by C.S. Poe
  • Into the Holidays We Go and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, December 3:

  • RELEASE BLITZ Rough Trade by Sidney Bell
  • Release Blitz  A Soldier’s Wish by NR Walker
  • Review Tour – Neutral Zone by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey
  • An Ali Review: Rough Trade by Sidney Bell
  • A MelanieM Review :Neutral Zone (Harrisburg Railers #7) by R.J. Scott & V.L. Locey
  • A MelanieM Review:  Best In Show by Kelly Jensen
  • A Stella Advent Calendar Review: Barbies and Beaches by Asta Idonea

Tuesday, December 4:

  • Book Blitz Defensive Play by Jamie Deacon
  • Review Tour –  Christmas Angel (The Christmas Angel #1) by Eli Easton
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: Sunshine in the Dragon’s Heart by Jaime Samms
  • A Caryn Review Broken Halos by Aimee Nicole Walker
  • A Stella Advent Calendar Review: Mosquitoes and Mistletoe by Ren Holly
  • A Lucy Review: Christmas Angel (The Christmas Angel #1) by Eli Easton

Wednesday, December 5:

  • Cover Reveal for  Illumined Shadows by G.R Lyons 
  • Review Tour  for Loving A Warrior by Melanie Hansen
  • Release Blitz Tour –  – The Deafening Silence by Amy Tasukada
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review  Loving A Warrior by Melanie Hansen
  • A MelanieM Review: Loving a Warrior by Melanie Hansen
  • A MelanieM Review: The Holiday Spirit by Carole Cummings
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Advent Review:The Last Birthday Party by Mere Rain
  • An Alisa Review Surreal Estate by Jesi Lea Ryan

Thursday, December 6:

  • Review Tour – Kim Fielding – Summerfield’s Angel
  • Havoc (Tattoos and Ties) by Kindle Alexander New Release Tour
  • DSP PROMO Liv Olteano
  • Cover Reveal – A World Apart by Mel Gough
  • A MelanieM Review: Havoc (Tattoos and Ties) by Kindle Alexander
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review : Summerfield’s Angel by Kim Fielding
  • A MelanieM Advent Calendar Review: Warren’s Peace by Emjay Haze
  • A MelanieM Review:Lucky Town by Morgan Brice

Friday, December 7:

  • PROMO Jaime Samms
  • Mischief Corner Books”Escape From the Holidays” Collection
  • Blog Tour – The Stars May Rise and Fall by Estella Mirai
  • An Alisa Review: The Last Prince by Shawn Bailey
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review:  Semper Fae by Angel Martinez
  • A Stella Advent Calendar Review:Trapped in the Valley of the Kings by Blue Jones
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Christmas Kitsch by Amy Lane
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audio Review: P.S. I Spook You by S.E. Harmon and Noah Michael Levine (Narrator)

Saturday, December 8:

  • Release Blitz – Nell Iris – Under The Felt Mistletoe
  • Release Blitz – The Selkie Prince’s Unexpected Omega (The Royal Alphas)
  • Release Blitz for Ari McKay – Designer Holiday
  • An Alisa Review: Slow Thaw by J. Scott Coatsworth (MCB anthology)
  • A Caryn Advent Calendar Review:The Faller by Daniel de Lorne

 

Book Blast and Giveaway for Closer by F.E. Feeley, Jr

Closer Book Blast Banner

CLOSER

F.E. FEELEY, JR.

GAY FICTION/GHOSTS/SUPERNATURAL

RELEASE DATE: 03.01.18

Closer Cover

Cover Designer:  Roe Horvat

BLURB

Maplewood, Vermont is a picturesque town filled with unique shops, unique homes, and a quaint familiarity all centered around a lake with an unusual history.

Legends, old as well as Urban, float around like the mist that hovers above the lake at break of dawn.

But they’re just stories, right?

Hayden Moore’s life was destroyed when his husband, Malcolm, was murdered. Giving up his job as an assistant district attorney in Boston, Hayden moved to the little burg of Maplewood to recover.

A new life.

A fresh start.

However, something underneath the water is stirring. Something rotten. A deadly secret wakes underneath the black waters of Lake Veronica so disturbing it haunts the nightmares of the local residents.

It’s coming closer…

Length: 117,000 words

 

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Q3eGBu

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2BHKAus

Smashwords: https://bit.ly/2QtAghN

B & N: https://bit.ly/2Q4i6Uv

iBooks: https://apple.co/2TXa4Lt

Beaten Track Publishing: https://bit.ly/2QtzuBp

Closer Graphic

Book Excerpt (Audio)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNnr_hJl60

FE Feeley Logo

F.E.Feeley Jr is a poet and the author of six published works – four full-length novels, two short stories featured in anthologies, and a poetry book.

Married to the love of his life, John, he came to the writing world about four years ago where he fell in love, again, with the written word.

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2SjcylO

Twitter: @fefeeleyjr

Website: www.fefeeleyjr.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fefeeleyjr/

YouTube: https://bit.ly/2PcsG6J

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6806438.F_E_Feeley_Jr_

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An Alisa Review: Peaches and the Shadow by K.L. Noone

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

At twenty-four, Ethan Aur has a lot to prove. He’s the youngest member of his family, the academic one, and the latest heir to the tradition of supernatural quests and spells and enchanted swords. The family’s always protected him and worried about him, and his older brother keeps calling to check in.

 

But this particular quest is Ethan’s quest, and this ghost is his problem. He’s going to solve it on his own. By any means necessary. Even if that ghost is a very handsome man, charming and confident and dominant and kind.

 

Jake O’Malley took one look at the newly arrived Knight and that magical Sword and those determined eyes, and now he’s aware he’s in trouble — as if he didn’t have enough problems, being the trapped and ghostly version of his 19th Century brothel-keeper bastard self. But the Knight who’s come to help is everything Jake could’ve ever wanted: brave and generous and sweet, vowing to find a way to solve Jake’s stuck-between-worlds predicament, no matter what it takes.

 

Even if that involves a mutually pleasurable ritual involving sexual magic.

 

This was a nice story but I felt as though I wasn’t getting the full story.  Ethan is trying one more quest before he takes the reigns at the new museum his family if opening.  There he finds Jake that has been trapped as a ghost by one of Ethan’s ancestors.

 

You could tell Ethan was frustrated with being the baby and having everyone looking after him and for the first time someone actually sees past that.  He inexplicably connects himself to Jake when he brings him back to life but it is probably the best “mistake” he has ever made.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is a nice picture for the story.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 27 pages

Published: October 20, 2018 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634867450

Edition Language: English

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A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Blood for the Spilling (Studies in Demonology #3) by TJ Nichols

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

You really need to read this as a trilogy, and I would highly recommend them if you like epic fantasy/erotic romance with graphic violence. I was so excited for this third book to come out. If I rated the trilogy as a whole, I would rate it 4.5 stars. This is the end of the story arc for our heroes’ journey.

As the magic is draining from Demonside turning it into desert, Humanside is becoming covered in ice. Book two showed the escape from Vinland to the Mayan Empire for Angus, Saka, Terrance, Wek, Lizzie, Reese, and Emma. Everyone gets separated right away. Priest Cadmael has been questioning everyone to make sure they aren’t Vinland spies. He summons up everything I didn’t like about Terrence quite nicely. But what Angus, Terrance, and Saka fell into naturally, here is ritualized. Cadmael wants to get rid of Terrance and force Angus and Saka to bond with a Mayan priest as an anchor. Forcing humans and demons as partners against their will doesn’t seem that much different to me than the College. In fact, the Mayan way might seem better, but there are still ways in which humans are exerting control over demons in everyday life.

The Mayan Empire has a much higher level of magic and are devotional about rebalancing. In the city of Uxmel, demons seem to walk the streets freely. Meanwile Saka gets to see trees, flowing water, and permanent settlements in this part of Demonside. The demons are completely different, antlered, scaled, or feathered. Mage Iktan has put Saka to work in the healer’s building, when humans crossover for help. Lest you think everything is so much better, rebalancing takes on a whole new form here with the introduction of pitz, played in large arena matches. It was previously established that emotion in the blood made it more potent, although why that isn’t being funneled into something renewable instead of beheadings, seems strange. For instance, everyone in the crowd could donate blood rather than just killing a few players. As magical attacks from Vinland increase and their system starts to break down, they are lost–not used to thinking outside the box. They also don’t care about the whole world, just on saving their tiny part of it in the controlled way they want for as long as possible.

There are also doorways created that control the flow of magic between the worlds, as well as where people can come and go–both a good and bad thing. Still, this knowledge could help the Lifeblood tribes being summoned and killed by Vinland. Cadmael askes Angus to speak to World Council of Demonology; they then decides to ban demon magic except for rebalancing. But Saka is sick of waiting for humans to do something, so the demons will try to stop the flow of magic by closing the doors. Angus has a plan to find and take all the stolen magic from Vinland and return it to Demonside. The surprise here is that after all the distrust shown to the defectors, Cadmael just goes along with this plan? After Cadmael being a central character the whole time, he is now just shuffled to the background and no longer seems in charge.

This has always been heading towards the showdown with Angus and the College to restore the magic stolen from Demonside in order to save the world. Overall, I am very happy with how I got there. I would say, I wouldn’t have minded this actually being four books. I feel there was so much detail in the first two books, that when details started to get skimmed over, especially in the last third of the story in order to rush to the conclusion, I felt a little disappointed. After waiting all this time for a love scene between Terrence, Angus, and Saka it was rushed and not quite what I hoped for. I have been a bit hard on Terrence during the course of these books and I will say, while he redeems himself here, he’s still the weak link. I finally decided that is alright; his role is not just the anchor to bring Angus back to Humanside, but to remind Angus of his humanity. He is the only one who wants Angus for Angus, not his magic. Still, I had an expectation that this would be a true triad, and I had to let go of that. There is a lot at the end that we don’t get to see, like what happened to the Lifeblood tribes? What happens when Saka goes back? So, I was left with questions and wondering if they will be told in flashbacks in another book that shows us the rebuilding. If they could take what was good about the Mayan Empire and Vinland (and what about the other nations) and merge them to make a new worldwide system, what would that look like? That’s really the highest compliment I can give: that I don’t want to let go of this world and the people in it. I will reread these.

Cover art by Catt Ford is great and I love how it connects with the story.

Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 280 pages

Published: November 27, 2018 by DSP Publications

ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-882-9

Edition Language: English

Series: Studies in Demonology #3