A Paul Review: To Touch the Sky (Leap of Faith #2) by M.A. Church

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Leap of Faith: Book Two

He can run, but he can’t hide…

This is the second book in M. A. Church’s Leap of Faith series. This book’s timeline is concurrent with the first book of the series and as such can be read as a standalone. Reading the first novel will give some back story to a couple of the characters and events mentioned but it is not necessary to enjoy this book.

In pre-Colonial America, Chetan is a warrior of The People, a group of Native American shifters of Wha-Tay. On a buffalo hunt with his tribe, Chetan is in charge of supervising his nephew Isi, who is on his first hunt. Things begin to go wrong and before Chetan can react, Isi is killed by a stampeding buffalo who escaped the hunt. Devastated, he goes into seclusion in a deserted cave. While there, he dreams of his fated mate, a white man with blond hair. Having failed his nephew, Chetan vows never to put himself in a position to hurt someone close to him again.

In modern times, Chetan is now called Gus Hawkins or Hawk for short. He owns a bar on the outskirts of Memphis. He has developed a reputation of player who only dates dark haired men, never lets the sleep over and never sleep with someone more than three times. This way he feels that he will never find his fated mate and will never develop feelings for someone to let them down again, like his nephew.

Simon Carter is a blond twenty something who most people would describe as a twink. He is a web designer for one of the major oil refineries in the Memphis area. He is a spitfire who takes the term twink and rails against it, going so far as to turn down a date when someone uses the term to describe him. So instead of the date that he was going to go on, he decides to go to this out of the way bar which has a reputation as being gay friendly. While playing pool, he nearly gets into a fight with some drunken college guys who are throwing homophobic terms at him. Then this big Native American step in to protect him from the possible gay bashing. Thus Simon is introduced to his fated mate, Hawk.

Hawk and Simon must overcome things in Hawk’s past and the reputation that Hawk has developed in the meantime. Simon cannot believe that Hawk could possibly be interested in him as Hawk never dates blonds. Hawk must convince Simon that he is a special case and that the rules do not apply to Simon, his mate. Hawk must also introduce Simon to his culture and the fact that he is a shifter and by agreeing to be his mate, Simon will become one too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author puts a different spin on the shifter genre with emphasis on the Native American culture. The shifter spirit, called a totem, often talks to the human side. The conversations between Hawk and his totem are both hilarious and insightful. You could call the totem a second conscious for Hawk. He implores Hawk to do what is needed but in many instances Hawk ignores the totem and does what he has always done. I am looking forward to the next book in this highly entertaining series.

The cover art by L.C. Chase is well done. It depicts the blond Simon in the foreground with a hawk soaring in the night sky in the background. It is a well done representation of the novel.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here – April 3

Book Details

Ebook, 189 pages
Edition: English
Publish: April 2, 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 978-63216-913-6
Book Series: Leap of Faith
Shadows in the Night (Leap of Faith #1)
To Touch the Sky (Leap of Faith #2)

A Stella Review: He’s Just Knot That Into You by Nico Jaye

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

When Tanner moves to Chicago for a new job, he experiences his First Shift, a revelation that signifies he’s met his mate since the last full moon. The only problem? He doesn’t know who it is. To find his mate, he enlists his new assistant Jon to arrange a series of dates, but each one turns out more disastrous than the last.  With the next full moon quickly approaching, Tanner finally determines the identity of his true mate. Unfortunately, Jon has since disappeared, and Tanner must now begin a new search. Is it really Jon’s family crisis pulling him away, or is Jon just not that into him?

Are you ready for a hot encounter between a lycan and mashed potato? LOL

Tanner is a thirty years old werewolf, he just moved to Chicago to work at The Dilarium, a small publishing company. He’s almost resigned to be alone, when he had the First Shift, meaning he has found his mate. He only needs to understand who he is.

Jon is his adorable assistant, the one with cute bowtie and tortoiseshell glasses. He is Tanner’s mate but the Lycan is not aware of him yet. Tanner has only twenty-nine days to find his mate. With Jon help, he set up some meetings with potential mates. While looking for a mate in a married man, a playboy one and a vegetarian one, Tanner will realize Jon is the only one to date.

He’s Just Knot That Into You is a very particular book, I never read about a shifter searching for his mate like that. It has a unique premise, with interesting new aspects on the shifters’ world. But what happened with the title? I love it and the “knot” part is assured with some steamy sex, but the “not that into you” part confuses me, the MCs are obviously into each other as soon as they knew they were mates.

I admit that the title and the cover caught my attention at first sight. I was so ready for a sweet and cute story and I wasn’t disappointed. Only one thing, I didn’t enjoy the ending. First, in my opinion there was no need for the final ending scenes, it is a light book, but most of all it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. It felt almost forced but it didn’t get enough pages. I think that space could have been easily used to develop and show us more of Tanner and Jon together. I wasn’t able to feel a connection between them yet. I’m hoping for a sequel and I’m wondering if there is a chance for a second story with some male pregnancy elements.

Cover art by Anna Sikorska. A really cute cover with an unusual use of the yellow color. Well done.

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

Book Details:

Published March 18th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ebook, 127 pages
ISBN13 9781632168238
Edition language English

A Paul B Review: Werecat: The Rearing by Andrew J. Peters

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

When Jacks goes to Montreal for Spring Break, he meets the mysterious Benoit. The encounter will change his life forever. But will he lose himself as a result of it?

Jackson “Jacks” Dowd is a college student in upstate New York. For spring break, Jacks and his friends decide to go to Montreal instead of the usual trip south due to lack of money. Seven weeks from graduation, he wants to let loose and have some fun. Having started partying on the bus to Montreal, Jacks becomes inebriated as he and his friends go from club to club. He sets off wandering the streets of the city by himself. He loses his balance and falls into a ditch and passes out. He is found by Benoit, a mysterious man who insists that they are meant to be together and takes steps to ensure that this is the case. Knowing that his friends and family will be looking for him, Jacks convinces Benoit that they should go to New York City.

While in New York, Jacks meets a Persian medical student named Farzan Mohammed who works in his family bodega at night. While he finds the man sexy, his loyalties are to Benoit. When Benoit does something that horrifies Jacks, Jacks decides he can no longer stay with Benoit and goes to Farzan for help. When Benoit tracks down the pair, Jacks must protect one of the men he cares about from the other. Jacks must then live with the consequences of his decision while trying to move on with his life.

I really enjoyed this story. The storytelling jumps from present day New York to Montreal three months previously, filling in the back story of Jacks and Benoit. This is not your typical shifter story. The author gives his explanation of how shifters came about though Benoit’s history. While the idea of a fated mate is somewhat explored, Benoit uses it more of a controlling aspect in his relationship with Jacks. The other part of the story that intrigued me was the idea of losing one’s humanity to your animal nature that is not usually explored in shifter stories. This may come about as the shifters in this story are created and not born as is the case in most stories in this genre.

Jacks is the driving character of the story. While he cares for Benoit, he begins to see the cruelty of the man as he loses more of his humanity. Jacks also sees the potential with Farzan, who despite being in medical school, is looked down upon by his Persian family because of his homosexuality. His choice between the two men, while difficult, becomes obvious. The hope for Jacks is both with the choice he has to make and the care of the stray cat that has become one of Jacks’ primary concerns. I will be looking forward to seeing where this author takes this series in the future.

The cover art by Andres Rodriguez & Freder depicts a scruffy, dark haired man in the foreground with a panther looking on in the background. This gorgeous cover reflects how I think Benoit and his cat might appear.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here
Book details
Ebook, 69 pages
Edition: English
Published: May 2013 by Vagabondage Press

Series: Werecat
Werecat: The Rearing (Werecat #1)
Werecat: The Glaring (Werecat #2)
Werecat: The Fugitive (Werecat #3)

A MelanieM Review: The Devil’s Bedpost: Four of Clubs (Pulp Friction 2015: Altered States) by Parker Williams

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Detective Ben Nelson’s not happy with the new world order. He’s stubbornly refusing to believe in the supernatural beings that the world now knows to be real ever since a vampire burst into flames on a city street and a cop sat up in his coffin at his funeral. Now Ben has a chilling new case that frustrating them all and breaking their hearts. It involves seemingly unconnected people—men, women, children—who disappear from their beds and are later found beaten to death. When evidence leads to an offhand comment about voodoo, Ben refuses to admit that there might be something unreal about it all until his boss orders him to visit a seer named A. Middleton or hand the case over to the Odd Squad—the federal bureau charged with investigating supernatural crimes.

Artie Middleton lives alone in a huge house, able only to be physically close with his dog. Why? Because with one touch, Artie Middleton can see, feel, and relive the stories held by objects, and some of those stories are very bad indeed. The last missing person’s case he assisted on left him bedridden, recovering from the same wounds as the victim. His power is one that few would envy.

When a disbelieving Ben arrives at his door, needing help to find a missing seven-year-old boy, Artie is torn. He fears what might happen if he agrees but knows the fate of the child if he doesn’t. Even more troubling for Artie is the detective’s effect on him. While Artie can’t allow skin-to-skin contact with a person for fear of what he might see, Ben makes him want to break all the rules he has in place to protect his sanity.

When the two begin working together, they find much more than they expected. And if they can’t stop the perpetrators, the body count will increase.

Parker Williams joins the Pulp Friction team this year and The Devil’s Bedpost (Four of Clubs #1),his tale of supernatural beings, love and mystery, folds itself seamlessly into the others, meshing a new world order that recognizes the existence of supernatural beings and their effect upon the city, its politics, and its people.

Just as it would occur in real life, there appears someone who stubbornly refuses to believe in the changes that have so rapidly occurred. That’s NOPD Det. Ben Nelson. He’s an overworked hard driving cop, short on sleep, and even shorter on tolerance and belief in magic and those that wield it. And he’s in the midst of a case that heartbreaking and lacking in clues. The one lead they available is the last one Ben wants to follow up on because it contains supernatural elements to it. I absolutely believed in Ben Nelson from his first appearance. Parker Williams has built so many believable layers to this man that he’ slides easily to mind and into our hearts. And the case he’s working on tugs at our emotions, especially as it involves children being kidnapped, and tortured before being killed.

To offset the mundane, everyday and oh so human routine of the police force, the author gives us A. Middleton, also known as Artie to his friends. A potter who turns out museum worthy art pieces, Artie is also a seer specializing in psychometry. Artie can touch an object and immediately he is flooded with memories and scenes and emotions of those the object belonged to. At once it becomes clear that such a talent is more curse than gift. When those memories and events are horrific, involving physical damage that happened to the person the object belongs/belonged to, that same damaged is felt and physically manifests itself on Artie. Definitely not the sort of thing someone would want to be able to do. It has caused Artie to retreat from all physical contact with others. The only touch he can tolerate is that of his dog. What a lonely existence and yet, Parker Williams has developed Artie to such a realistic degree that Artie has found a way to have others in his life, no matter how restricted it might be. You will fall deeply in love with Artie just as I did.

The case that ties these two men together is horrific, grounded as it is in the kidnapping of children and a few adults who vanished from their bedrooms without a trace. The mystery of their disappearance combined with the fact that when their bodies are eventually found, the manner of their deaths add terror to the mixture. The police work drudgery feels authentic and the suspense and buildup satisfyingly haunting and addictive. And that ending…..

Yes, it’s a cliffhanger, something I have come to expect from the Pulp Friction serialized stories. Be prepared to yell “noooooooo” at the end. I did. Along with a “argh”, and “hell no, he didn’t end it there”. A few comments like that may have flown out of my mouth! But I loved every word of this story even as Parker Williams twisted my heart and stomach into knots during the telling.

But don’t take my word for it. Run out (or over to your computer or eReader) and get it right now. You need to be ready for the next installment. I am. And while you are at it, pick up the other two Round One stories already out. This is going to be one wild ride, and I can’t wait for more.

Cover art by Laura Harner. I love these covers, perfect for branding the group of series and introducing the characters.

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

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 73 pages
Published March 13th 2015
ASINB00UP4SBCA
edition languageEnglish

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

A Stella Review: Two Howls (ALPHAS #4) by Sean Michael

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Max is on the run, but is he running from his past, or toward his future? Only Ulf knows…  Werewolf Max knows desiring males is wrong, but he can’t help himself. When his pack nearly kills him in an attempt to cleanse him, Max runs. Jumping on his motorcycle, he heads north.  Ulf has lived on his own in the wilds of Northern Ontario for a long time. When he catches the scent of a stranger in his territory, he’s angry at first, until he realizes that Max is more than just another werewolf. They’re mates.  Ulf must make Max believe that two males can be mates, but just as he’s about to succeed, Max’s past catches up with him. Will the home they’ve been hoping to build together be lost for good?

I’d like to do a little premise. Two Howls by Sean Michael is the second book I read in this new ALPHA series from All Romance eBooks. I read and reviewed Jumping In by Cardeno C too. Sean Michael and Cardeno C are two of my fave authors, but in my opinion in this series something didn’t work it well. As I already said in the previous review, in this case too, Two Howls didn’t do justice to Sean’s works. Of course the choice to publish stories so short didn’t help with the plot but it can’t be used as a excuse. Nevertheless I was left with a lot of blanks to fill.

The little plot we got is really interesting. Max is on the run, he escaped from his homophobic pack that almost killed him, just cause he’s a gay wolf. He finds a lonely little cabin in the woods and decides to stop there to rest for a while. What he doesn’t know is that the cabin isn’t abandoned but it’s where another werewolf lives, not just anyone but his mate.

The rest of the story shows us a lot of sex between Ulf and Max, used as a way to persuade Max that they are truly mates and that he needs to learn to trust Max and his protection. There is some action at the end that definitely improved my enjoyment.

It was an ok-read to me, maybe in some way a typical shifters story, but if you like alpha men, hot shifters and abused characters, you can give a chance to Two Howls.

Cover art by unknown. Nothing great about it but I like it, especially the choice of the colors.

Sales Links: Available only at All Romance (ARe) Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published February 4th 2015 by OmniLit / All Romance eBooks, LLC
ebook, 56 pages
ASIN B00U37BOU0
Edition language English
SERIES Alphas #4

In the Spotlight: M.A. Church and To Touch The Sky (Leap of Faith #2)

To Touch The Sky (Leap of Faith #2) by M.A. Church
Goodreads
Release Date: April 3, 2015

And now a mini Q and A with M. A. Church…

E-books or Print?

Hmmm, boy that’s a hard one. I like the convenience of E-books. I remember the days of having stacks of paperbacks in my walk-in closet that reached the ceiling, lol. But I have to say that nothing beats holding a book in your hand. *grin* Nothing beats seeing your name on the spine, either!

Do you have a library card and know where it is?

I do, actually! (Ex-teacher, here. Of course I have one, lol.) It’s in my desk. When my kids turned five years old many years ago (no, not saying how many is many, lol), they got one too. Now, if *they* knew where theirs were, I’d be impressed, lol.

If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I’d do what I used to do, lol: teach Kindergarten. I loved the little guys. There’s nothing better than seeing the light bulb go off once a child finally ‘gets’ it.

About M.A. Church

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

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

She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ma.church3
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomoretears00
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nomoretears00/
Other: Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A8JA4C
Other: Goodreads Author Page

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook and Paperback

He can run, but he can’t hide…

Centuries ago, Hawk made a terrible mistake which has haunted him since. Fear of responsibility and feelings of unworthiness leads him to denying the mate Wha-tay showed him in a vision. So now Hawk runs his bar, has casual sex, and never, ever dates men with blond hair and brown eyes. But then Simon walks into his bar, and the future he’s feared is about to end up in a brawl if Hawk doesn’t do something—fast.

Simon Carter has a smart mouth and a bulldog temperament. So when Hawk runs, Simon pursues the sexy man, only to be rejected. Just as Simon decides to give up, someone—or something—visits him to change his mind… and scares him to death. Now Simon is backpedaling, and Hawk is in pursuit.

Desperate to reassure Simon, and keep him safe, Hawk is forced to reveal his secrets before he’s ready. Can Simon learn to accept things aren’t always as they seem? Is the connection between them strong enough to help Hawk overcome centuries of pain? The only way the two men will move beyond Hawk’s past is for both of them to take a leap of faith.

Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal (shifters), Romance

Two hours later he was back up, pacing the floor, beyond annoyed. Why was he doing this now? He knew who his mate was supposed to be, and he wanted no part of it. He was responsible for himself only, and he liked it that way. Too bad the spirit that shared his body didn’t agree.

Really? What about all those people at the bar who depend on you?

“It’s not the same thing, and you know it.” A quick glance out his bedroom window confirmed dawn was about to break.

Freaking A, arguing with you is like arguing with a signpost. Why don’t you go stretch your wings, old man? We’ll chill on the breeze. Shift and we’ll find a nice juicy pigeon or rabbit for breakfast. That sounds dee-lish.

Hawk rolled his neck. His totem spirit’s mentality was that of a fifteen-year-old hopped up on sugar and running on three hours of sleep. The spirit was very old, but damned if it acted its age.

Whatever, dude. Just do something, will ya?

Pages or Words: 67,000 words

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of Shadows in the Night (#1) and To Touch the Sky (#2). Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopeter links and prizes provided by Pride Promotions.

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Tour Dates & Stops:

16-Mar

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20-Mar

Carly’s Book Reviews

Hearts on Fire

23-Mar

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MM Good Book Reviews

27-Mar

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Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

30-Mar

It’s Raining Men

The Novel Approach

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3-Apr

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6-Apr

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10-Apr

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

13-Apr

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My Fiction Nook

17-Apr

Emotion in Motion

Divine Magazine

20-Apr

Molly Lolly

24-Apr

Cate Ashwood

Redz World

A Stella Review: Jumping In (ALPHAS #6) by Cardeno C.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

When love’s on the line, the brave jump in with both feet…

  Small town cop Clint Rivera can’t catch a break. His ex of two weeks is suddenly getting married, his dogs tore up his furniture, he’s getting evicted, and he’s out of beer. When he decides to solve his alcohol shortage by going to his ex’s engagement party, Clint winds up too drunk to drive himself home.  Enter gorgeous deputy mayor Hawk Black, the man who constantly shows up unexpectedly and sends Clint’s body and mind into a tailspin with nothing but his whiskey voice and blue eyes. After months of patience, Hawk can finally seduce the man he’s been craving.  Clint’s day might not have started out well, but Hawk’s going to make sure it ends with a bang, preferably in bed. He’ll show Clint some rewards are worth the risk. With love on the line, Clint will need to decide if he can open his heart, tear down his shields, and jump in with both feet.

Jumping In by Cardeno C is the story of Clint, a small town cop, and Hawk, the new deputy mayor. Clint moved halfway across the country to start a new life, but being in the closet isn’t what he was looking for. So after breaking up with his boyfriend and camping for two weeks with his two delicious puppies, he comes home to discover his ex boyfriend (of just two weeks) is going to be married. This news will be just the first of a few things that will make his day really bad . Luckly at the end of it, he will find a hot deputy who knows everything about his life and is just waiting for Clint to open his eyes and his heart, only if Clint can stop fantasizing and thinking out loud about Hawk’s (lack of) underwear while talking to him!

This is the first book I read in the ALPHAS series from All Romance eBooks. I was really hoping in something better but I can understand the story, being so short, couldn’t be more developed and everything moved very quickly. Cardeno C is an auto buy author to me, I can see her style in it but Jumping In definitely doesn’t do justice to her works.

This too short story was a funny and light read, romantic but not so realistic to me as the previous books I read by the same author. Nevertheless I liked it. We have two sexy alpha men simply explosive together and the sex really hot. I loved the chemistry between them and the dialogues too, made the story very engaging.

Cover artist- unknown. Nothing special about not just this one but the covers of all the series. Not a bad one but surely not eye catching.

Sales Links: Available only at All Romance (ARe)

Published February 6th 2015 by OmniLit / All Romance eBooks, LLC
ebook, 58 pages
ISBN13 9781936387830
Edition language English
Series: ARe Alphas, #6

In Our Book Spotlight: Getting Close to the Omega (Cloverleah Pack #5) by Lisa Oliver

Getting Close to the Omega (Cloverleah Pack #5) by Lisa Oliver

Release Date: December 2014

Goodreads Link

We have Lisa Oliver here today with her latest story in the Cloverleah Pack series, Getting Close to the Omega. We have an interview with the author, as well as an excerpt and contest for you all to enter. Check it out below!

Lisa Oliver had been writing non-fiction books for years when visions of half dressed, buff men started invading her dreams. Unable to resist the lure of her stories, Lisa decided to switch to fiction books, and now stories about her men clamor to get out from under her fingertips.

When Lisa is not writing, she is usually reading with a cup of tea always at hand. Her grown children and grandchildren sometimes try and pry her away from the computer and have found that the best way to do it, is to promise her chocolate. Lisa will do anything for chocolate.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers and other writers. You can friend her on Facebook here, or email her directly at yoursintuitively@gmail.com.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisaoliverauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wisecrone333
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest/lisaoliver79
Lisa’s Blog – http://www.supernaturalsmut.com

Publisher: Oliver Group Publications
Cover Artist: Lisa Oliver

Sales Links: Amazon AllRomance (ARe) Createspace (Print Version) Smashwords

Book Five – Cloverleah Pack Series
Can be read as a standalone.

Dean Weir has finally found happiness in his position as Omega wolf of the Cloverleah pack. He has his friends, his work and his art and he has never looked for anything else. Badly abused by his ex-home pack and Alpha, Dean keeps his head down and stays out of trouble. That is, until his mate joins the pack.

Matthew Charmichael is over a hundred years old and has been a lone wolf for longer than he can remember. Joining the Cloverleah pack after he heard they were having trouble with another wolf shifter, Matthew is overjoyed to find his mate is the cute little Omega of the small pack. But Dean’s past, and the constant attacks on the pack from the mysterious Kylan, could mean that Matthew and Dean won’t get their HEA after all. Can Dean overcome his past, and embrace the powers that a claimed Omega is purported to have, or will his ex-pack kill him before he and Matthew have a chance.

Warning: This is a love story between two male wolf shifters. It includes graphic depictions of sex between men as well as some violence and coarse language. Historical abuse themes are referred to, but not described.
Categories: Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

“You matter to me,” Matthew said. “One day you will share your personal horrors with me, purely and simply because eventually we won’t have any secrets from each other. You will trust that I am strong enough to handle it, and that I will comfort you when you need me to. Those things come with time.” Matthew lifted his arms, encouraging Dean’s hands to come back up to his shoulders. As though he couldn’t get enough, Dean went back to tracing Matthew’s collar bone.

Matthew swallowed a moan and forced himself to keep speaking. “But right now, in this moment, I need you to know, that to me, any scars you have are a testament to your strength and ability to survive. And you have no idea how thankful I am that you did survive and that you feel comfortable enough with me to sit here and touch me like this.”

“You make me calm, like I have found my center,” Dean explained. “I don’t know why, but when I’m around you I don’t have any fear, of anything.” He looked up and Matthew was blasted by the pure need in Dean’s eyes. “Could you, would you mind maybe kissing me again, please?”

“As often as you like,” Matthew promised as he leaned over and carefully brushed his lips over Dean’s mouth.

Pages or Words: 80,000 words

Contest: Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Rafflecopter links and prizes provided by Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Getting Close to the Omega’.

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Because Two Men Are Better Than One

Spring is Here, Do you hear that, Weather? This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Spring is Officially Here!

So it snowed on the first day of Spring and now its 60 degrees outside. Yep…its Spring! My snowdrops are trying valiantly to come up through the remaining snow and the flower and gardening catalogs are starting to pile up in the mailbox and side tables. I love this time of the year. Planning, planting…a fertile time for garden and the imagination…..

We are also starting to look ahead to May which is our Authors Across the Pond Showcase month! Just something you all will want to put on your calendars! We have a bunch of wonderful books reviewed this month, so be prepared to add to your TBR list.

Now on to our week.

-This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words-

Sunday, March 22:

Spring is Here and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, March 23:

Thianna D’s As Natural As Breathing Tour and Contest
The Sum of Everything by April March tour and contest
Book Spotlight: Getting Close to the Omega by Lisa Oliver (contest)
A Sammy Review: Song of the Lonesome Cowboy (The Society of Masters ) by Lynn Kelling

Tuesday, March 24:

Book Spotlight: Draven St. James Driven by Fire Book Tour and Contest
Barbara Ellsbourg “Falling” Release Day Guest Post
A Mika Review: Carry The Ocean by Heidi Cullinan
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Light From the Dark by Mercy Celeste

Wednesday, March 25:

Book Spotlight Tour: The Jewel Cave by Elizabeth Noble (contest)
A Stella Review: Jumping In by Cardeno C
A Mika Review: Signs by Anna Martin
A BJ Review: Wizard’s Moon by Josh Lanyon

Thursday, March 26:

Patricia Logan ‘Silver Ties Audiobook’ Guest Post and Contest
Book Spotlight: Opposites By T.M. Smith (contest)
A Stella Review: The Belgian Chocolate Remedy by Julie Lynn Hayes
A Mika Review: Young At Heart by Kay Ellis
A MelanieM Review: Death by Dragon by Madeleine Ribbon

Friday, March 27:

Book Spotlight: MA Church To Touch the Sky Tour and contest
A Paul B Review: To Touch The Sky by M. A. Church
MelanieM Review: The Devil’s Bedpost by Parker Williams
A Stella Review: Two Howls by Sean Michael

Saturday, March 28:

RJ Scott’s Book Tour for *Max and the Prince*
An Aurora YA Review: Dreams (Dreams of Fire and Gods #1) by James Erich

A MelanieM Review: Midnight Run (ALPHAS #10) by Bailey Bradford

Rating: 1.5 stars out of 5

Always the lone wolf, never the mate…

Blurb from ARe: Alpha Jack Herman used to have a pack, but he’s been alone for a long time. When he catches a whiff of another shifter encroaching on his preferred hunting grounds, he’s determined to put a stop to that immediately. There’s only room for one wolf in Jack’s territory—Jack.

Captured as a pup, Malakai is a shifter, but he’s neither wolf nor alpha. What he is, is scared, exhausted, starving, and close to giving up. Hunted by a predator, Malakai fears his newly found freedom is about to come to a violent and abrupt end.

Instead, he finds himself in the arms of a man strong enough to do whatever he must to take care of Malakai.

For the want of an editor a book was lost, along with continuity, and any semblance of logic and order. Color me amazed and totally perplexed. Rarely have I come across so many mistakes and lack of attention to details and storyline as I encountered here. Midnight Run by Bailey Bradford is part of the Alpha collection of stories published by All Romance/OmniLit Books. Or is it self-published by authors through All Romance, not sure how that works? No matter, I’m just not sure where it or this story or the blame falls because its issues are many.

I’m not even going to bother with my own synopsis. Why bother when so little care and effort was put into publishing this story? Instead of going on and on about all the issues I found in this story, I’m just going to list a few of them, that should be telling enough.

Here goes with a little bit of set up. Malakai is an artic fox captured as a young shifter (a pup) in animal form while out on a run with his family in the wilds of Alaska. So far so good. He spends years in that animal form in a cage as a couple’s sort of “show-n-tell” wild animal pet. He escapes after years of being confined as a fox in a cage (he should be close to feral) and is hunted/found by a wolf shifter. Now let the errors begin:

Malakai has never really been outside his cage in years yet he is able to:

1. Claw his way out of a concrete and heavily fenced cage even though he is starving and in poor condition.

2. On the run in a park, Malakai is able to work the restroom stall door latches (so he can hide from a wolf in a stall) in the men’s room in a park lavatory. I known adults who find those latches confusing or broken to the point of not being able to use them. Plus how is a stall going to hide him? Rarely are those restroom stalls totally enclosed or have sides that go to the ground. That costs money that park systems don’t have. Just saying.

3. Malakai informs Jack that he has never worn clothes before and yet he puts on and buttons a shirt, zip up pants (both without help) and ties a shoe with only one rapid demonstration of how the laces go together. No learning curve here with buttons or zippers, no fumbling or figuring things out. Uh. No, that doesn’t reason out any way you look at it. And don’t get me started on putting on shoes and wearing them for the first time if you have never done it before.

4. Malakai has no problem walking around in human form even though most of his years have been spent as a fox. I’m pretty sure he might have some issues with balance, muscles and muscle tone, etc but no.

5. Malakai is emaciated to the point of starving, his bones are clearly visible. So what does Jack feed him? Tons of bacon and pancakes and more bacon. If Malakai had really been a fox or dog, you’d be cleaning up the rooms for weeks to come after feeding a starved animal all that rich food. I have read similar scenes in other stories and the authors take care to show that characters in such condition are eased back into eating and not cooked multiple breakfasts ala Burger King. They made the situation feel authentic. Clearly that didn’t happen here.

6. Malakai informs Jack he’s a virgin (well, yes, he’s been caged most of his life) and knows nothing about sexuality (including whether he’s gay or not) so of course Jack has sex with him immediately and starts to talk about BDSM and spanking. A sort of “I’m Jack, we’re going to have sex” fast tracked sex component that is definitely not sexy.

7. It’s especially not sexy given that Malakai is emaciated, ignorant of human lifestyles and customs, and basically a kid mentally. Oh, and he is also traumatized because of the situation he escaped from. *shakes head*

Enough already.

I could keep going on but why? The whole story is like this. There is also no continuity in back history and as it is part of an ongoing series, no effort has been made to pull in any details or history to the other couples and characters that come and go throughout the story. I think you’re supposed to know who they are and how they fit in with Jack, but that lack of knowledge is probably one of this story’s lesser problems.

And finally, although an editor with an enormous red pencil could fix some of these mistakes, that fact that there is no connection, no electricity between Jack and Malakai dooms this story from the start. On every level, Midnight Run is a pass.

I am familiar with Bailey Bradford and, generally, her stories are imaginative, her characters compelling, and, actions and events make a sort of sense, even with the supernatural elements involved. None of that happens here and I’m at a loss as to why. If you are a Bailey Bradford fan, I leave the decision to read this story up to you, but for the rest of the readers, look elsewhere for your shifters in love and HEA.

Cover art is not credited, probably a blessing.

Sales Link: Available only at All Romance (ARe)

Book Details:

ebook, 50 pages

Published February 10th 2015 by OmniLit / All Romance eBooks, LLC
ISBN139781936387878
urlhttp://www.allromance.com
seriesALPHAS #10

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To Touch The Sky (Leap of Faith #2) by M.A. Church Goodreads Release Date: April 3, 2015

And now a mini Q and A with M. A. Church…

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Getting Close to the Omega (Cloverleah Pack #5) by Lisa Oliver

Release Date: December 2014

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Spring is Officially Here!

-This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words-

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To Touch The Sky (Leap of Faith #2) by M.A. Church
Goodreads
Release Date: April 3, 2015