Category: Shifters, Weres

Halloween Book Spotlight Special: Devil’s Jawbone by BJ Sheppard (excerpt and contest)

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Devil’s Jawbone by BJ Sheppard
Release Date: October 31, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: BJ Sheppard
Cover Artist: BJ Sheppard

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Blurb

As night descends on the town of Devil’s Jawbone, no one is safe. The veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, and the darkest side of human nature is boiling to the surface. The supernatural and the natural are colliding, and in this sleepy town, the bump in the night is taking human form. Innocence will be lost; the villain will become the victor; spirits will rise and Satan himself will come to town.

In an eerie collection of short speculative fiction, author BJ Sheppard will grab your imagination, bringing new life to the classic campfire tales synonymous with the scariest of occasions. Halloween will never be the same again.

 

Pages or Words: Approximately 50,000 words
 Categories: Gay fiction, Horror

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Excerpt

Janine Richards had been the first to see the body, arriving an hour early to train for that Friday’s track meet. Through the indigo rays of morning, she had expected peace and quiet but instead had been gifted with the body of the football team’s quarterback hanging from the centre bar of the goal post. The police had arrived after her frantic call and all the yellow tape in the world couldn’t stop the student body from stopping to share in the horror, the grief that had blanketed DJ High.

Riley fought his way through the crowd and stopped only when Logan’s body, still hanging one hour after its discovery, swung lazily on a gentle autumn breeze. His stomach lurched and his eyes prickled, yet he couldn’t peel them away.

What, only one day previously, had been a generally happy, albeit momentarily pissed, Logan Greenway was now reduced to a bloating blue-black sac of meat swaying from the goal that Riley himself had scored over several times at practice the night before. The soccer net around his neck had bitten bloodily into his neck, which was pitched at an awkward angle and coated with what looked like thick black paint under the gentle rays of morning sun. Riley fought the urge to run, closed his throat against the violent clench in his stomach that had only occurred before when he was sick, and turned from the body that was once his teammate.

Logan had not been suicidal, that much was the truth. He had been distracted, pissed at Coach for his harsh behavior, but Logan Greenway had been the boy who had it all. Nothing about his life had held a suggestion that things weren’t going exactly the way he wanted.

Riley thought to his own home life, to the secret of his father’s sudden departure that lingered on the tip of his tongue ready to be spilled. Everyone has a secret, he thought, playing nervously with the straps of his rucksack. But what was Logan’s?

It didn’t matter anymore. Logan Greenway was dead. And school was out for the day.

 

Buy the book: Smashwords | Amazon UK| AmazonUS | AmazonCA |AmazonAU

Meet the Author

My name is BJ Sheppard and all at once I found myself an author. Such a strange sensation to actually feel you deserve the thing you had aspired to for many years. After all, all it took was computer access and an inner world that reads like a Sheryl Crow song to pound the keys and translate my crazy ideas onto the page. I feel like I could have business cards printed. Maybe wear a black roll neck and perch my glasses on the tip of my nose. I could drink whisky and smoke a cigar and do all those really stereotypical things I imagine all writers do. Perhaps I could get laid a little more? This is not the end. Nor the beginning. Hell, it isn’t even about me. My boys write themselves; I really don’t have that much say in the matter. As long as my characters need a voice, I have two chubby typing fingers and a need to please— watch this space: there is more to come.

Where to find the author:

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Tour Dates & Stops: October 31, 2015

Parker Williams, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, The Hat Party, SA McAuley, KathyMac Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Bayou Book Junkie, Inked Rainbow Reads, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Charley Descoteaux, Louise Lyons, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Mikky’s World of Books, Velvet Panic, Molly Lolly

 

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: eBook of ‘Devil’s Jawbone’ by BJ Sheppard.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Scary Review Redux: Lily By Xavier Axelson (A MelanieM Review)

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Being a single Dad is hard enough but when Pryor loses his daughter Lily in an unthinkable event he thinks he has experienced the ultimate horror but it’s when Lily returns he realizes his nightmare has only just begun…

LilyWhen Pryor’s daughter Lily is taken by a wolf, Pryor is convinced she has turned into the creature he sees lurking in his woods. He swears she promises to return to him. But is it his despair and desperation making him see things or is there something more lurking in the shadows of the forest?

When he meets Ned, a silversmith who helps him with a plan to bring his daughter back into his life, he begins to live again. But can his newfound love help ease the horror that may be waiting? What if the ultimate horror isn’t when Lily was taken but it’s when Lily returns and he realizes his nightmare has only just begun…Its Father’s Day and two men are waiting for a little girl to appear.  They are waiting for Lily.    Lily, his beloved little girl, had been lost a year ago, dragged off into the woods by a wolf.  In the time since, Pryor, consumed with his loss, has retreated to his cabin, his days numbed by his grief. Only the love and support of  Ned, his partner, and a plan to reclaim his daughter has kept him sane.  And now the time has come to see if she will return to him, if only for a day.

What a marvelous short story Lily is.  Lyrical in language and strong in its empathy for a parent’s pain, it has a singular voice in Pryor, Lily’s father.  To Pryor ” still believe being Lily’s father is the most important thing in this world.”  And you feel that hole in his life so acutely as she described just before she is ripped from him, her hair all “wild and white – blonde”.  Pryor’s voice and his descriptions provide a wealth of clues and information about his past.  He hears voices, whether is the derogatory words of his dead mother, or whispers from the woods.    He described his lover’s beard as his “summer fur”, and stares into the moonlight woods searching for signs of his daughter.   All three characters here are beautifully realized, one heartbroken, one steady and one filled with wildness and innocence.  I love how we are fed bits of information until we can finally spin together the fibers that make up the tapestry that is this family and its tragedy.

There is such a distinctive style to this story, as the mundane are juxtaposed with the magical.  Like silk against the skin, this story glides over into your memory.  I loved this and hope you will feel the same.

New cover, much better than the original.  Adds a little more shiver to the tone with the new font and love the white wolf. Although I am never a fan of a division so severe in the design, the red line here, especially when it bisects the title.  That’s a minus.

 

Sales Links:  Amazon | Buy It Here

Books Details:

ebook, 54 pages, every page a must read
Published May 2014 by Seventh Window Publications (first published January 13th 2012)
ISBN139780989606035
edition languageEnglish

A Paul B Review: Paws, Preening and a Pumpkin Patch (Wolves of Stone Ridge #31) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Paws, Preening and a Pumpkin Patch coverHessian (Hess) Roshburg, a Kodiak bear shifter, has come to the Stone Ridge wolf pack territory to meet with a former military acquaintance.  It seems the pack has gotten itself mixed up with some vampire, gargoyles and the CIA.  He also has information about the shifter council that he believes that the pack alpha Declan McIntire should know about.

Gilbert, a raven shifter, and his flock have recently settled in the territory of the Stone Ridge wolf pack after being held captive in Russian for several years.  The wolves helped liberate them from the captors and offered them sanctuary until they have readjusted to real life.  Things like clothes and how to use a telephone is lost on members of his flock who were taken captive at an early age.  To help in their transition Gilbert and his flock decide to go out dancing at a local club that is frequented by the local shifters.

At the bar, Gilbert watches members of his flock flirt hopelessly at the bar staff and other bar patrons.  While headed to the bar to retrieve drinks for his friends, he runs into a big bear of a man.  Gilbert realizes that not only is this man a shifter, but also his mate.  Gilbert tells Hess that Fate must be mistaken since they are total opposites and that now was not exactly a good time to find his mate as his flock needs him.  Hess must convince his mate that he can have both if he wants.  However, will the information that Hess has retrieved for his friend put a premature stop to this mating before it even begins?

This thirty-first book in the Stone Ridge series introduces two new characters in the series.  We have met Gilbert in passing while he was held captive in Russia but know nothing about him.  His reluctance to mate with Hess is understandable.  First he is the de facto beta to this flock of birds that have been held captive for up to forty years for some of them.  Next, he feels that Hess has betrayed them because government agents are after Hess because of the information that he stole.  The character of Hess was somewhat confusing to me.  He left his clan at 27 because he was stronger than the alpha but is still roaming about as a loner.  And he speaks to others in somewhat youngish manner.  He calls a cougar shifter “kitty” and his mate “pretty slender.”  It just seemed out of place for someone who is as strong as Hess is supposed to be.  But I still enjoyed the book despite this.

The cover art by Angela Waters once again delivers.  It shows Gilbert in the foreground in his human form with Hess in his bear form wandering around a pumpkin patch in the background.  The cover perfectly fits the book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books | Goodreads | Amazon | 

Buy It Here

Book details

ebook, 102 pages
Published October 15th 2015 by Extasy Books
ISBN139781487405496
edition languageEnglish
seriesWolves of Stone Ridge #31

Series:  Wolves of Stone Ridge

Get Into the Halloween Spirit with VL Locey ‘An Erie Halloween’ (excerpt and giveaway)

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An Erie Halloween (Lake Erie Shifters #1) by V.L. Locey
 Release Date: October 20, 2013

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Torquere Press

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Blurb

Templeton Reed has been hiding his inner polecat since he was a child. Keeping his animal secreted is hard for a shifter, especially when one is living in a secret community of mystical beings. It`s the wolf shifters that cause Templeton the most trouble with their darned sensitive noses.

Templeton has a run-in with the Lake Erie pack and their alpha, Mikel Lupei, at the Office for Transmogrification Registration (OTTER). Templeton has a desk job checking registration papers and dealing with wolf shifters is not part of his job description. After that upsetting meeting the meek and mild office worker suddenly finds himself in the center of not only civil unrest among the shifter community, but a violent plan for a coup aimed at rousting Mikel.

Templeton and Mikel, a skilled tracker of rogue shifters, are soon not only fighting for their lives, they`re also fighting the rigidly archaic rules of their kind, as well as the person responsible for trying to take over Mikel`s pack from the inside. Can this magical odd couple turn a passionate attraction into a full-fledged love affair?

 

Pages or Words: 65 pages
 Categories: M/M Romance, Paranormal

Excerpt

As I walked, I rolled odd change around inside my coat pockets. The streets were busy as last minute shoppers ran to get their candy and costumes for the big night tomorrow. Head down and mind running a mile a minute, I never saw the brick wall disguised as a man I ran into. Face into the wind, I never smelled him either. The amber eyes and brindle hair were all that stopped me from either screaming or shifting. Mikel pulled me into a small bookstore. I went along because I really had no choice, but once inside the quaint bookery, I jerked my arm from his grasp. Several patrons glanced at us. Mikel muscled me into a row holding non-fiction and historical. He grabbed a book and opened it, his sharp gaze flitting between me and a fascinating how-to grow-your-own-beets book.

“Is there a reason you abducted me from the street?” I asked, moving back slightly when his big body pressed closer to allow a woman to pass behind him. His proximity was beyond distressing. It was arousing. Now that he had me cornered, there was no getting away from the heady scent that he exuded: Part sin, part warm fur, part earthy pine, wholly distracting.

“I`ve been trying to contact you for days. Why didn`t you return my calls?” he whispered, keeping his big chest plastered to my left arm. My spine was firmly against a bookshelf.

“There are several reasons,” I replied trying to sound snooty but sounding meagerly twitterpated. “One is that our classes don`t mix. . .”

“That`s a paltry reason, Templeton,” Mikel said gruffly, snapping his beet book closed.

“Well, it may be for you, but when one`s boss tells one to keep his distance and – hey!” I grabbed for my glasses when he plucked them off the bridge of my nose. Folding my arms over my pea coat, I glowered at the oaf. There would be no leaping up and down. Those days ended when I left high school. The touch of his fingers on my chin brought out an age-old response. I jerked back hard. The bookcase behind me wobbled dangerously. Mikel dropped his book to steady the shelving unit. My heart was trying to explode through my chest like an alien baby. The lycan inhaled several times then gave me a dark look.

“Calm yourself, Templeton, your odor is growing stronger.”

“Sorry, it`s just this is all too – too much,” I gasped, working to calm myself before the tingling at the base of my spine began. The bells over the front door tinkled melodiously. Soft conversation bounced off the spines of books. Mikel tipped my head back and kissed me. Right there in the middle of the non-fiction. His lips were soft. Sinfully soft. It took my lashes a moment after his mouth left mine to flutter upward. Squinting skyward, I tried to read his face but it was a blur. My glasses were placed back onto my face, albeit crookedly, and then I could see the glow of golden eyes. Oh my . .

Buy the book: Torquere Books

SAVE 50% by using this code: eriehalloween at checkout.

 

Meet the Author

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, two dogs, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and three Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.

 

Where to find the author:

 


BannerTemplateTour Dates & Stops: October 30 & 31, 2015

October 30, 2015

SiK Reviews, The Hat Party, Havan Fellows, Bayou Book Junkie, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Jessie G. Books, 3 Chicks After Dark, Inked Rainbow Reads, Charley Descoteaux, MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, Sassygirl Books, Cathy Brockman Romances, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Mikky’s World of Books, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My

31-Oct

Molly Lolly, Parker Williams

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘An Erie Halloween’ by V.L. Locey.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Get All Types of Supernatural Fun with Katey Hawthorne and Jenna Rose’s Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers (authors interview and giveaway)

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Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers
by  Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne

Published by Loose id LLC
Cover artist: Dar Albert

Buy it at Loose id LLC | Amazon | All Romance (ARe)

blog tour

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Katey Hawthorne and Jenna Rose stopping by today to talk  about their new novel, Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers.  We decided to switch things up and asked them to interview each other for a change.  Hmmmm, can the unexpected be far  behind?

~ Katey Hawthorne and Jenna Rose Interview Each Other~

Hello, hello, and welcome to our Release Week blog tour for Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers. Thanks for having us, STaRW crew.  We’re Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne, and we’re here to interview each other. Let’s see where this goes…

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Katey: So, Jenna. We had the characters of Lowell Kanaan and John Tilney already, you and I, but do you remember the moment when we were inspired to actually write a book together about them?

Jenna: I do! We were close to done writing them and realized how much we were going to miss them. Then you suggested to keep them going and turn their adventures into a book. It kinda exploded from there.

Katey: Yyyeah ‘exploded’ is a good word for it. I remember we were talking about them just investigating stuff, since that was Lowell’s thing all along. I think we were watching Supernatural soon after, too. Not that it’s at all like Supernatural, just that there are, uh, supernatural small-s elements. It’s a lot more… I can’t think of a good TV show comparison…

Jenna: Haha, neither can I, really. I guess it takes inspiration from everywhere, but I do remember us watching Supernatural at the time. And probably complaining about the lack of lbtqia+ and poc characters…

Katey: As we are wont to do, yes.

Jenna: What about Lowell and John made you feel they’d translate well into a book?

Katey: They’re so different. Like, on the surface, they have nothing in common, but at the same time their main interests fit together like puzzle pieces. Lowell solving mysteries to help people, John writing mysteries that require skills of observation and organization.

Jenna: I could never get over how well they hit it off. Like, right from the start.

Katey: Right? Lowell is all survival instinct, too, and John has like, none.

Jenna: And Lowell is so not a people person, whereas John is. They balance each other out.

Katey: Also true. So in that way they supply each other’s weaknesses, and that’s a really good thing to have in a couple you’re writing. Just the opportunity to show them making each other stronger and better people–which all my favorite couples do.

Jenna: Mine too! As you already know very well.

Katey: Do I ever, darling! Okay so John was sort of initially my creation, but by the end of the novel you knew him and how to write him as well as I did, certainly. What’s your favorite thing about being in the driver’s seat with him, when it’s your turn?

Jenna: That’s a good question! The tone of the writing. I love my grouchy Lowell, but John is much more, uh, colorful? and it is a lot of fun. It means getting to write so many crazy and clever things.

Katey: Colorful, that’s a word he’d like, too! Putting it, uh, nicely.

Jenna: I love that weirdo, okay.

As someone who is demisexual, it was great having my hand in helping develop a demisexual character too. I want to see more ace-spectrum characters out there.

Katey: Yeah that was really important to me, too, and I was so pleased you were into it, with John. That’s one of my favorite things about the book in general.

Jenna: Mine too. I was really happy when you mentioned you were considering writing John as demi. Representation for ace people is hard to find. I know I, for one, went a very long time not even knowing asexuality was a thing. So, it’s important to me to, I dunno, put characters out there that someone might be able to relate to, I guess.

But, enough about me! What about writing Lowell was your favorite?

Katey: I am glad you asked that! What I love about Lowell is that his actions show more than his words say, always. So writing him is a lot of fun in that way. He’s pretty clammed up, but also his every little move or thought says volumes.

Jenna: And is just one more thing about them that is so different! Lowell is more show than tell, and John, who wears his heart on his brightly-colored sleeve, is the other way around. It works really well for them.

Katey: Also true. That stuff really does make it so much fun when writing–and even more when writing back and forth with  you. Then there’s always a slight element of surprise, even though we know where the scene is going in general.

Jenna: That’s one of my favorite things about co-writing. As is, characters tend to surprise you when you’re writing on your own, but throw another person in the mix and the results are even better. You end up with dialogue or perspective you may never would have otherwise.

Katey: Totally. It’s more of an adventure that way.

Okay so my last question: We’ve got Necromorphs, Terrans, Elementalists, Beasts, and Psychogenics, in terms of powers. John is an Elementalist, in particular, he’s pyrokinetic. Lowell is a Beast, a wolf-shifter. But what’s your actual favorite kind of power in the praeternatural community Kanaan & Tilney inhabit?

Jenna: That’s a tough one. They all have cool aspects to them, but I’d probably have to say Beast. Being able to turn into something like a wolf is awesome. Or maybe a Terran? My least favorite, or, rather, the one I’d never want to have, is Psychogenic. I sooo want nothing to do with telepathy or mind-control or talking to ghosts.

What about you?

Katey: Yeah as much as I’d love to be able to throw fire or rocks or whatever like an Elementalist, I have way too much of a temper to be trusted with that, sorry to say. I’d probably go Terran. I like the idea of being sort of interlinked with nature in a more explicit way than humanity is even now, you know? Also I am apparently a big old hippie on the inside… the vegetarianism was a giveaway, maybe…

Jenna: That’s what I like about Terrans too.

So, last question from me! What’s something in the Kanaan & Tilney world that we haven’t written about yet that you would like to?

Katey: Oh man, that’s good. This now officially a plotting session! Now I think of it, I’d like to deal with how the non-praeternaturals explain away a lot of the things that go on. Like, we kinda go into Cryptids being their explanation for shifted Beast sightings. Having a non-praeternatural perspective could be entertaining. What do you think?

Jenna: That’d be awesome! I’d love to see more of how the two worlds collide, or for a human to become of a world they had no idea existed. It would be fun to see how much is because humans just convince themselves of something, and how much is because praeternaturals actively cover things up too.

Katey: Yeah it’s a thing we’re kind of skirting, waiting for it to become plot relevant so we can delve in, really. We should totally find an excuse to go there.

Jenna: I agree. And I’m sure we’ll find one. We always do. Haha!

Katey: Just like we always find a way to make puns relevant.

Jenna: It’s true. Any excuse, really.

Thanks, Jenna and Katey, that was spectacular.  Now for more about Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post.

–Blurb–

JR_KW_kanaan and tilney_coverinJohn Tilney–praeternatural pyrokinetic and mystery author–has noticed the bottom dropping out of the market for his usual gothic fare, so he goes to Lowell Kanaan, PI, for a crash course in noir. Lowell, the cranky wolf-shifter detective, isn’t sure why he agrees to let John shadow him–though it might have something to do with John’s weirdly endearing honesty… and pretty lips. John thinks he’s found the perfect detective novel hero in Lowell, but it isn’t long before he realizes he doesn’t want Lowell for his book, but for himself.

As they become entangled in a supernatural whodunnit involving the Zombie Mafia, black market body parts, and shady insurance deals, their partnership grows closer–and hotter. But when it comes down to the wire, Lowell’s wolfy protective side threatens to drive John around the bend, or at least out of the office. Good thing John’s as much sunshine as he is fire; hopefully it’s enough to help them catch a murderer before they end up in literal pieces, too.

 

Author Bios

 Jenna Rose is an avid reader and writer, particularly when it comes to science-fiction and fantasy.  Currently, she works as a receptionist, but her real love is writing. In her free time, she likes to read comic books, play video games, and waste time on the internet. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her dog, Harley.
Katey Hawthorne is a reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills.

Both authors can be contacted at:

Katey Hawthorne:

Website: http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hawthornetaylor
Tumblr: http://hawthornetaylor.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katey.hawthorne.33

Jenna Rose:

Website:http://www.jennarosewrites.com/
Tumblr:http://jennarosewrites.tumblr.com/

Giveaway

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the authors.  Good luck everyone!

GIVEAWAY: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MzEwNTUzNWQxNzFmNmFhYmFmNTkxNGFhNTJjNjlkOjI=/?

A Paul B Review: The Lost Otter (Patching Up #1) by Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Lost Otter coverBrody has not seen Aeden for since he walked away from their relationship six years ago.  What will his return mean to the both of them?  And what is Aeden’s fascination with the otter he has rescued?

Brody is a veterinarian on a small island off the Washington coast.  One day he finds a wounded otter on the front step of his clinic.  Having patched up the otter of his broken bones and finding not much else wrong with it, he puts the animal in a cage.  Having done so, Brody hears a voice from his past telling him to move away from the cage.  It was his former lover Aeden.

Aeden left Brody over six years ago not saying a word to him.  Having left to deal with the passing of his father, Aeden left both men heartbroken.  Now he was back at Brody’s clinic to rescue an otter which is not what he appears to be.  As Brody and Aeden talk, Brody swears he hears a voice saying “Tell him” to Aeden.  It appears that Aeden is actually an otter shifter and the otter in the cage is his wayward brother who is once again in trouble.  After the otter shifts into Aeden’s brother Phillip, Phillip explains that he has run afoul with a clan of bear shifters and they are coming after him.  The three men must get away from the clinic before the shifters find them.  Now that Brody knows Aeden’s secret, will he rekindle the romance between them or once again be heartbroken when Aeden has to leave with his brother?

This is the first book in the authors’ new Patching Up series.  This book was a decent paranormal read but it did not seem to hit all the buttons for me.  Aeden had to leave at the death of his father but it did not seem clear to me that he was made the alpha of the group.  It also seems to turn most ideas of mates on end.  If Aeden and Brody are meant to be together, wouldn’t Aeden have told Brody about mates and shifters before he had to leave to attend to his family?  I also had problems with Brody just walking away from his vet clinic if he is not Aeden’s mate in the normal paranormal sense.  Hopefully these points will be expanded upon as the series continues.

The cover art by Carmen Waters is well done.  The top half shows Brody in his vet coat holding a cat in his arms.  The bottom half has an otter standing on a bank getting ready to dive into the water.  It is a perfect representation of the book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

Ebook, 40 pages
Published:  October 15, 2015 by Extasy Books
Edition Language:  English
ISBN:  978-1-4874-0526-7
Series:  Patching Up

A MelanieM Review: Dead Money: Jack of Spades #5 by Lee Brazil (Pulp Friction 2015: Altered States Book 17)

Rating: 5 stars out of 5   ★★★★★

Dead Money coverBarton Montoire’s fragile hold on his emotions is worn thin by exorcisms and fear. Even though he’s beginning to realize the full potential of his abilities as a ghost, he has no power to stop his lover’s plot to end the darkness that has threatened their relationship for close to a year, not with all their friends in the line of fire.

In all of time, there have existed few men who transcend the bonds of life and death, who see the spirits as clearly as the living. These men possess the ability to summon others, creating doorways between realms, physical and metaphysical. A dusty tome written in cryptic language reveals terrifying secrets, but with a little help from his friends, Sabine Brusilov knows what must be done. For the good of humanity and supes alike, he must call forth the shadowy demon, leading it into a trap.

Unfortunately, talent is not skill, and the ability to summon cannot be mastered by taking a class or two and scouring the internet for information. With Bart at his side and his friends at his back, Sabine brings talent, skill, and strength of will to battle evil before it can join the gathering forces of darkness that menace New Orleans.

With dead money on the table, is love enough to take the hand?

Well, Dead Money by Lee Brazil is the book I have been waiting for this entire series.  It’s just plain outstanding!  With this one story, Lee Brazil takes all my previous irritations and uncertainties with the plot, the characters, their relationships,  and dismisses them firmly and resoundingly.   In fact, had this been a stand alone series, Dead Money would have made the perfect  series finale.

For most of the series, I have felt that the relationship between Bart and Sabine to have been very unequal in power and affection, at least that’s the way it translated in the narrative for me.  But here and now, after all their travails,  they come across as deeply committed partners, people in love, no matter their corporeal status. Lovers reunited who are facing one of the greatest evils they will ever know.  Brazil has built up the demon they face with vividly scary descriptions and pain-filled scenes of horror but still what comes is far, far worse.  Something no one, not Bart, not Sabine and certainly not the reader is prepared for.

The other characters in the series are there trying to help as well, but its Bart and Sabine you fear for and the ending when it comes is both shocking and shockingly satisfying.  I’ll say no more.  But oddly enough, I’m so  happy with this story, I don’t feel like I need a book six, which might be just as well.  I love this book and the way it all turned out.  How on earth or on any other supernatural plane could you possibly improve on this?  Five stars plus?

And yes I highly recommend this author and series.  Not only for a Scary Halloween Read but for any time of the year!

The book cover is also the best in the series.  Apparently everything was waiting until Round 5.  Well done.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 47 pages
Published October 13th 2015 by Lime Time Press
ASIN B016NFRTO0
edition language English

☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠

About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.

Round One:
Drawing Dead (Jack of Spades: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blind Stud (King of Hearts: 1) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Bedpost (Four of Clubs: 1) by Parker Williams
Diamonds and Dust (Ace of Diamonds: 1) by Laura Harner

Round Two:
Dead Blind (Jack of Spades: 2) by Lee Brazil
Stud Player (King of Hearts: 2) by Havan Fellow
Up the Ante (Four of Clubs: 2 ) by Parker Williams
Diamond Draw (Ace of Diamonds: 2) by Laura Harner

Round Three:

Dead Button (Jack of Spades #3) by Lee Brazil
Blind Man’s Bluff (King of Hearts #3) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Playground (Four of Clubs #3) by Parker Williams
Diamonds Edge (Ace of Diamonds #3) by Laura Harner

Round Four:

Dead Man’s Hand (Jack of Spades 4) by Lee Brazil
Blind Heart (King of Hearts 4) by Havan Fellows
High Stakes (Four of Clubs 4) by Parker Williams
Diamond Flush (Ace of Diamonds 4) by Laura Harner

Round Five:

Dead Money (Jack of Spades 5) by Lee Brazil

☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠

About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.

Round One:
Drawing Dead (Jack of Spades: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blind Stud (King of Hearts: 1) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Bedpost (Four of Clubs: 1) by Parker Williams
Diamonds and Dust (Ace of Diamonds: 1) by Laura Harner

Round Two:
Dead Blind (Jack of Spades: 2) by Lee Brazil
Stud Player (King of Hearts: 2) by Havan Fellow
Up the Ante (Four of Clubs: 2 ) by Parker Williams
Diamond Draw (Ace of Diamonds: 2) by Laura Harner

Round Three:

Dead Button (Jack of Spades #3) by Lee Brazil
Blind Man’s Bluff (King of Hearts #3) by Havan Fellows
The Devil’s Playground (Four of Clubs #3) by Parker Williams
Diamonds Edge (Ace of Diamonds #3) by Laura Harner

Round Four:

Dead Man’s Hand (Jack of Spades 4) by Lee Brazil
Blind Heart (King of Hearts 4) by Havan Fellows
High Stakes (Four of Clubs 4) by Parker Williams
Diamond Flush (Ace of Diamonds 4) by Laura Harner

October Scary Reads and Other Things that Go Bump in the Night – Narratively Speaking!

Scary October Books Header

October Scary Reads and Other Things that Go Bump in the Night

Melanie’s Scary Novels and Frightfully Wonderful Storiesskeleton reading books

I’m the first to admit that while I like my vampires and werewolves and ghosts and ghoulies I don’t want my stories to go dark DARK ! Taunt me with details…that make my mind goes horrible places, don’t really give me the specifics.  Go ahead, call me chicken.  I own it.  I do like my angst, suspense,   knuckle biters, eye popping “oh no, you didn’t” scenes and many of the  books, series and authors I’m  going to mention gave me that and so much more.  There’s no order to my list, its more along what popped up in my head…as usual.  Some are old releases, some new, something a little Monstery?

Here they are:

Author Missouri Dalton:

Hanged Man's GhostNightShift185Hellfire Legacy coverVampirism and You cover

 

 

 

 

 

Her Night Wars Series will gut you (dead children and more). I read them out of order. Don’t.

The Hanged Man’s Ghost (The Night Wars, #1)
The Night Shift (The Night Wars #2)
The Hellfire Legacy

Guidebook Series

Vampirism And You! (Guidebook 01) ~ my review here
Necromancy and You (Guidebook 02) ~ my review here

Pretty Monsters coverPeek A Boo coverTriple Feature coverJosh of the Damned The Final Checkout

Author Andrea Speed:

Josh of the Damned Series – humor and the Supernatural -killer combo along with outstanding covers

Josh of the Damned Triple Feature #1 (Josh of the Damned #3) by Andrea Speed
Pretty Monsters (Josh of the Damned, #1)
Peek-a-Boo (Josh of the Damned, #2)
Night of the Dust Bunnies (Josh of the Damned, #3.5)
Josh of the Damned Triple Feature #2: The Final Checkout (Josh of the Damned #4)
Merry Christmas, Josh! (Josh of the Damned #4.5)
Josh of the Damned: The Complete Collection

Also don’t miss out on Andrea Speed’s Infected: Prey series…but that’s for another time and reviewer – see Paul’s Paranormal Post this month.

The Devil's Bedpost coverDrawing Dead PF 2015 coverBlinds Man's Bluff coverDiamond Draw cover

Pulp Friction 2015 – Authors Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows ,Parker Williams and Laura Harner

There there is the Hauntingly Marvelous Pulp Friction 2015 Series this years with authors  Parker Williams, Havan Fellows , Lee Brazil and Laura Harner.  There are ghosts, ghost hunters, sexy succubi, werewolves in love with vampires, psychics, demons and so much more all wrapped in interconnected stories and mysteries that pull at your heart strings while making you jump that the evil goings on.  Right  now Round Five is just beginning. The first in each series is listed below.  5 books in each series, 6th book is written by all the authors.  Splendidly frightening, sexy too!

I also love a little elegance with my horror.  That brings up the following stories and authors:

The Mingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men by Eric ArvinMingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men cover

And finally, two short tales of such lyrical elegance and narrative poetry I read them over and over in admiration.   These should be on everyone’s must read list!

Lily CoverLily by Xavier Axelson

Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis HallSand and Gold and Ruin

What are you reading this All Hallows Eve?

 

 

 

Now from some of our other Reviewers:

In A Dark Wood civerKraken coverWinter Kills coverDown cover

BJ:

Now BJ loves her dark stories, just check out her review for Kraken by M. Caspian just last week. Missed it, did you?  I’ve linked it to her creepy recommendations listed below.  She also loves one of my all time favorite author’s, Josh Lanyon, a not to be missed author.

Creepy Halloween M/M Romance Recommendations from BJ

In a Dark Wood by Josh Lanyon: If you want something scary-creepy to make you cower under the blankets and double-check the doors and windows. Look no further. Who knew Lanyon could rival King, in this I see the making of the Master of M/M horror. And this horror buff wants more of this style of writing from Lanyon please.

Winter: Haunted Heart by Josh Lanyon: For those who want more of haunted-creepy, Lanyon has you covered there as well. Check out this lovely ghostly mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. The audio version’s narrator is excellent if you’re into audiobooks.

Kraken by M. Caspian: Ready for the creature feature now guys? Then check this one out. It takes creepy to a whole new level. You know the slimy, make-your-skin crawl kind. *shiver*

Down by Ally Blue: Features violence and death trapped seven fathoms below the deep. Creatures with glowing purple eyes and sharp teeth and a horror that could annihilate the human race-EEK! Tantalizing beginning and an ending that circled nicely back to it. The author’s writing style didn’t work well for me personally, but many others loved it and the story is most certainly eerie and quite unique.

 

From Sammy:

Slasherazzi cover

As for favorite scary reads…
Slasherazzi by Daniel A. Kaine

Favorite shifters…
The Tameness of the Wolf series by Kendall McKenna

From Barb the Zany Old Lady:

Hainted coverHainted by Jordan L. Hawk

Spirit by John InmanSpirit cover