Need a New Addiction? Pulp Friction 2015 is Back and Supernaturally Great!

Are you a lover of serial fiction? Especially M/M serial fiction? Are hot men and supernatural beings things that heat you up and make you grab for a fan or three? Does the name New Orleans make you shiver with anticipation and a little bit of trepidation? How about a combination of all those elements? Did I hear a squee of joy? Well, this year’s Pulp Friction – Altered States 2015 edition of interconnected series is up and running and it contains all those things and more!

Unfamiliar with Pulp Friction? It’s four author, four series connected together by characters and events. It’s full of drama, mystery, murder and high suspense mixed with hot men and lots of romance! It started in 2013 in Atlanta, moved to Flagstaff in 2014 and now in New Orleans. And with every year it gets better and more surprising. And this year a supernatural element is added, along with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, succubus and much, much more.

Contest:All authors have contributed towards a special giveaway – a eBook copy of each of the first stories in Round One! To enter leave a comment with your email address, tell us about your favorite supernatural being and click on the Rafflecopter link below (I am so over letting Kirby pick out names, he takes forever and gets distracted by squirrels!):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Now on to our interview…

Stopping by today to give all my readers a little bit of insight are the wonderful authors that make up this year’s Pulp Friction gang – Laura Harner, Havan Fellows, Lee Brazil and Parker Williams!

A Most Desired Pulp Friction Chat…..

Q. How do you see Pulp Friction?

(Havan) I love the series American Horror Story. I don’t just love it because of the scare factor (or gross-out factor or WTF factor or cheap thrills factor or Holy Shit they went THERE factor…I could go on and on, and this is only covering the horror genre of it so far lol) but it’s the writing and format of the series that works for me, also. I love that each season is all its own…sure they “tie” together in their own sort of way and doesn’t that have all the theorists going ga-ga lol – but each season is self-contained. The show reinvents itself every single season…using the same actors is irrelevant up to a point. The formula is the same.

That is how I see Pulp Friction. Sure the formula is the same:
• bad ass men who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to get what they want
• a localized place for the men to run to whenever they need back-up
• the bonds of love and family

But each year (season) we introduce new characters for you to enjoy, love, hate, lust after. So not only are our readers falling hard for the men we are giving them now – they are also wondering what could we possibly bring to the table to top this next year…it keeps all of us totally vested in Pulp Friction and makes it more than a mere read…it makes it an addiction…

(Lee) Pulp Friction, in my mind is a complex, tangle of men, emotion, and action. It’s romance with a side of mayhem, which may or may not consist of homicide.

(Will) I see it as a shift (no pun) on the theme. Everything you’ve loved about Pulp Friction is still there. The friendship, the sense of family, the falling in love. It’s just amped up and included the supernatural elements that make Altered States such a thrilling read.

(Laura) What I’ve always loved about the original idea for the Pulp Friction group was the ability to serialize stories, to have the old fashioned “tune-in-next-week” atmosphere without the intensive work it would require from one person. By sharing the experience with multiple authors, we get to provide a more complex set of stories, and create a community with our characters as well as with our readers.

And like Havan, I absolutely love that each season is self-contained—we pack up our bag of tricks and move to a new world.
What do you have planned for 2015?

(Havan) Pure and absolute chaos.

(Lee) That mayhem I mentioned above? It might just contain a touch of homicide this year. But I couldn’t really say for sure. I can promise romance… Ah love…

(Havan) Seriously – you’ve unleashed us into the paranormal realm where rules no longer apply…sit down, buckle up and get ready. You may want to hang that garlic around your neck and invest in some sterling silver…perhaps cross your legs too (Laurant says hello *winks*) – you never know who might be up for a midnight snack in our world.

(Will) As the new kid at the table, I’m bringing a psychic who gets mixed up in abduction cases being handled by a detective who may, or may not, be more than he seems. I hope that Ben and Artie can step into the world alongside these amazing authors I’m privileged to work with and stand with the others as well as on their own.

(Laura) My part of the 2015 year picks up where Free Falling Crimson left off, and although I don’t want to spoil anything, if you’ve read the first two books this season, you already know my character Jet is in mourning. Jet will be meeting up with an ancient vampire, Nico who has worked as an enforcer for the vampire council in Europe for hundreds of years. Nico is now in New Orleans to assist Homeland Security’s new Odd Squad. The two men might be hard as diamonds, but with a year to explore their pasts, we might find out that not everything is as it seems…

Q.Best moment of writing with the PF group?

(Havan) Besides the fact that I’m learning so much from my fellow authors…or that they are real good for my self-esteem…or that we are so much more than a “group,” just like the men we write about we are truly a family… Yeah, all of the above. On a side note: how cool is it to get the reader to root for the anti-hero? Season one we got you to approve of the bad guys, season two was all about encouraging a rag-tag collection of misfits and season three be prepared to cheer on the monsters. 🙂

(Lee) There’s a sheer thrill in seeing it all come together- in seeing everyone’s individual characters and storylines meld into a single, cohesive universe. Also… it’s really cool to know what happens as it unfolds. Each subsequent story inspires me in the creation of my next episode. It’s amazing.

(Will) I’ve been proofing for the group for the last two years, and I’m utterly astounded at the focus they have for their own characters as well as the ability to write the guys from each other’s stories. My best moment was when they said, “Hey, Will… we have an idea. What do you think about writing with us this year?” *THUD*

(Havan) Will is totally and completely THUD worthy himself!

(Laura) Triple thud? LOL. There are so many “BEST” moments, I’m hard pressed to pick one. Lee already mentioned how watching it all comes together as the year progress is amazing. Creating a “Pulp Friction” season is a lot like making sausage—no one wants to know what goes into it, but we can tell you that it’s a lot of fun, along with the hard work. We work on very tight deadlines, and must be constantly aware of what’s happening in the other writer’s series.

I consider myself very fortunate because I get to spend time every day with my Pulp Friction family. Just like a family, we care for each other in ways others don’t necessarily see. We share far more than just our PF story ideas. Havan, Lee, Will, Tom, and I have a chat box open whenever we’re on our computers—which is pretty much all the time. They are usually the first people I talk to every day, and we end many evenings doing writing sprints together. Yes, our family dynamics have changed over the years. Tom Webb might not be writing with us in 2015, but he is still involved, still joins us to sprint and beta reads. And adding Will was a no-brainer because he’s been a behind-the-scenes part of our family since the beginning.

Uh oh…we’re all in trouble now. Laura gave out our deepest darkest secret–she spoke about the nakey chat box!

Okay…so it’s only a nakey chat box in our minds (ie my mind) but it is the glue that holds us together I swear. There is almost always someone available when one of us needs inspiration for our present WIP, sprints to ramp up our word count, or if we have edits we don’t quite get…but the chat box is not limited to our writing. Oh heck to the no… our relationship is not limited to our writing careers. We are family. Period. When anyone needs anything all they have to do is log on and BOOM, instant gratification…whether there is nakey-ness or not. *winks*

It’s that connection we have that keeps all avenues of communication open between us…it allows us to write in depth serials brilliantly…among so many other things.

We’re the best type of family…we don’t just love each other, we like each other too.

So what if I happen to be the only nakey one in the chat box…it’s not like I’ve turned my webcam on…yet *smirks*

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 (STRW reviews start next week):
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

Not familiar with the Altered States series? Check them all out here:

Books in the Altered States Series in the order they should be read:
• Altered States (Altered States, #0.5)
• Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States, #1)
• Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States, #2)
• Free Falling Crimson (Altered States, #3)

A MelanieM Review: Free Falling Crimson (Altered States #3) by Laura Harner and T. A. Webb

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

New Orleans, Louisiana. 2015.

A bank is robbed and two guards are torn apart and yet the cameras show nothing. No suspicious persons to be identified and no clues to help search out the killer. Other than the bloody aftermath. Except the fact that the victims are human and the crimes occur in Human Only establishments. All signs point to a Preternatural killer with a grudge against humans. It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last.

Three years have passed since a vampire burst into flames on television and humans were forced to face a new world where supernatural beings exist. Caught up in the revelation and new world order are Sam Garrett and Travis Boudreaux, former NOPD detectives. Once human, they find themselves part of the preternatural world. Now everything is different, new lives, new rules, only their strange bond and attraction to each other has remained the same.

So much to contend with. Humans Only separatist groups are springing up everywhere ala KKK. Also out to get them is a vampire with political ambitions with huge plans of his own. No one’s safe in a world where humans—and supers—are forced to adapt, or die.

Working together as part of a team sanctioned by Homeland Security to carry out Justice Department decrees, Sam and Travis ensure the deadliest of supers pay for their crimes. Permanently.

Warning: This is a steamy urban fantasy. In this series the vampires don’t sparkle, werewolves kill.

Free Falling Crimson (Altered States, #3) by Laura Harner and T. A. Webb is the culmination of three preceding stories and its by far the best of them all. While the others were setting out the characters, relationships (no matter how tenuous), and world building, this story pulls it all together in a taut thriller guaranteed to make your heart race for multiple reasons.

At the center of this series is newly made supernaturals Sam Garrett and Travis Boudreaux. Their job as partners on the force pulled them together, their feelings for each other initialized a strange bond that even the calamitous events couldn’t destroy. Now back together again, Sam and Travis are trying to make their new relationship work amidst a crime spree that seems unsolvable and a new world order that seems to want to repeat the same mistakes made with those of Japanese ancestry during WWII. A Humans Only rights group is gaining in power and political leverage. Everywhere there are talks of internment camps and registering supernatural beings. And that makes solving this case even more important to all.

Harner and Webb understand complicated plots and they keep several important story lines in play at the same time to further deepen the mysteries and obfuscate important details and agendas. Secondary but hugely important characters have relationships in motion at every stage of the game. Some of imploding under stress and power struggles, others are being formed despite outward behaviors to the contrary. And each pairing is critical to the overall picture. The Altered States series is very much a chess game and the authors are very adept at keeping their end game a secret while constantly upping the suspense and, yes, sometimes terror at the events happening all around our characters.

Sam and Travis finally commit to each other and the sex scenes are intense and oh so hot! How I have waited for this to happen. Other couples find themselves in flux and compelling new characters find their way into the mix. Love, love, loved it.

Of course, it ends on a cliffhanger. A heartbreaking, pulse pounding cliffhanger. It is as marvelous as it is frustrating. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

At around 152 pages, this is not a quick read because you will find yourself backtracking to check facts, people and relationships along the way. I told you it was complicated, but as you gather hints throughout the story, you begin to get and appreciate the layers to all the characters and story lines woven into the Altered States series. Pick up the first story and get started if you are new to the series. But if you have been reading along as I have, than this is the book you’lll love on every front!

Cover artist Laura Harner. I’m not a fan of red covers and this one doesn’t change my mind. I get why the artist choose red but it just never works well, no matter the design. A smaller dosage of crimson would have highlighted the drama, instead its lost in the monotone palette.

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

Book Details:

ebook
Published February 1st 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781941841006
edition languageEnglish
seriesAltered States #3

Books in the Altered States Series in the order they should be read:

• Altered States (Altered States, #0.5)
• Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States, #1)
• Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States, #2)
• Free Falling Crimson (Altered States, #3)

A MelanieM Review: Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States #2) by L.E. Harner, and T.A. Webb

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

“Wolf or vamp? Decide. It has to be now.”

A life altering decision made in seconds. For those were the last words Sam Garrett ever heard—as a human. And as something other than human, his career as a cop was over.

Travis Boudreaux knows exactly how Sam feels, its an all too familiar situation. But as Travis and Sam are about to find out… when some doors close, the golden window of opportunity opens. Crimes against supernaturals require a new and different approach, and once the Feds show up, the Odd Squad isn’t the only law enforcement game in town.

With paranormal crimes flourishing and a revenge-seeking vampire creating deadly havoc, the new federal agent-in-charge is on a recruiting mission—and he’s more than ready to fight fire with fire. What do you get when you mix old friends, new enemies, and a license to kill?

Pure dynamite.

Warning: This is an erotic urban fantasy. In this series the vampires don’t sparkle, werewolves kill, and the men sometimes have sex. With each other.

Alrighty then! With Deadly Shades of Gold, the romance of Sam and Travis is about to be well…something hot and wonderful. As well as totally unexpected. I loved this story wholeheartedly. It made me want to do a few high fives and “hell to the yeah’s”! To recap briefly, Sam and Travis were partners on the force and soon to be partners in love when a vampire attacked Travis and killed him. But Travis didn’t stay dead for long and his return (on the day of his funeral), revealed to the world that vampires and other supernatural beings were real and living along side of them. Surprise! And quite, naturally it split up Sam and Travis to go their separate ways.

In Deep Blues Goodbye, Sam became the focus of two warring supernatural groups and the end result was a life altering decision (not to be revealed here). The choice made is startling as is the effects it has on Sam, his career, and all those around him. It also brings Travis back into his life and that’s where this story takes flight for me more once more. I love this two together. Apart, its bittersweet but together? They become dynamic and compelling. It doesn’t matter whether they are human or supernatural, Harner and Webb have created a romance that feels powerful and real, a connection that jumps off the page and into your heart. This story starts them on the path back to each other and something more as it picks up from that moment.

I love how believable the authors made the characters adjustment to their new status. There’s plenty of confusion and pain to go around, second guessing and indecision often rules the day. The process of accepting and adjusting to being a supernatural takes time and we watch it happen as Sam works his way through this tumultuous period. More plot threads are revealed, including perhaps, a motive or two from the head villain himself. Unknown histories are starting to surface and more supernatural politics combine with romance for another superb installment in this series. I think this is my favorite so far.

I highly recommend this series. I love the world building, its layered and complicated, just like the characters themselves. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Cover art by Laura Harner. Love this cover, wish there was more branding to the series.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 134 pages
Published February 19th 2013 by Hot Corner Press
ISBN139781937252311
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://lauraharner.com
seriesAltered States #2
charactersSam Garrett (Altered States), Travis Boudreaux

A MelanieM Review: Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States #1) by L.E. Harner, T.A. Webb

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

With one startling action, the world changed forever. Recently deceased NOPD Detective Travis Boudreaux was in the process of being mourned and buried when he had the bad taste to sit up at his own funeral. Until that happened no one knew that vampires and werewolves had been living amongst them. Now two years later, the fight is on for civil rights for preternatural beings and most humans are on the bandwagon. Except whoever is killing vampires and would be vampires.

Since the death and return of his partner and almost love, Detective Sam Garrett has hated all things preternatural. Having your undead partner try to make you his first meal will do that to a guy. When Sam’s attitude gets the best of him on the job, Sam finds himself banished to the Paranormal Criminal Investigations Unit—the Odd Squad—under the oversight of Detective Danny Burkette.

Now it’s up to Burkette to work with Garrett by day and Boudreaux by night as they follow a trail of clues that leads from the historic cemeteries of New Orleans to the bayous of southern Louisiana. During the course of their investigations, both men come to the attention of a Master vampire and the local werewolf pack Alpha. If they aren’t careful, it won’t be just Boudreaux whose dead, but maybe even Sam as well. Some lessons in life—and death—take longer to learn…and Sam and Travis find out that not all second chances are created equal.

Warning: This is an erotic urban fantasy. In this series the vampires don’t sparkle, werewolves kill, and the men sometimes have sex. With each other.

Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States #1) by L.E. Harner and T.A. Webb deepens the amazing world building these authors are constructing for this series. New Orleans, that rich feast of a city, is the perfect setting for supernatural beings in love and evil schemes that are slow to unfold. After that shocker at the end of Altered States, I eagerly grabed this up to see what had occurred only to find that two years had passed and the aftermath is viewed through the various perspective of the characters involved. And yes, I was a little disappointed. After all, what happened at the funeral was a stunner for all involved, including the now animated corpse of Travis Boudreaux. But two years have passed since Travis was turned and now everyone has to deal with the fact that vampires, werewolves and more exist and live among them. And not everyone is happy about that, including Sam.

I adore Sam, he’s a piece of cynical perfection and disappointment. What happened to Travis altered Sam as well, especially since both men were so close to falling in love, if they hadn’t already. But a vampire and fate intervenes and their new relationship was destroyed…or so they think. It soon becomes apparent that Sam has never gotten over Travis and that just adds onto the bitterness Sam already feels about the whole undead thing and his partner. I loved the two of them together and their bonding extends past themselves and the pages to include the reader. In fact, I so bought into their burgeoning love affair that aspects of this story threw me off.

Without heading into spoiler territory, other supernaturals arrive to further complicate the current state of affairs and all their attention will be focusing on Sam. We see Travis as he is trying to move forward with his undead life with not a whole lot of success. We see Sam also trying to do the same, both are stalled and bitter. Something has to occur to break the stasis and it’s a doozy.

As part of the events that happen, a bonded pair will have some wild hot sex with one of our main characters. Normally this doesn’t bother me, especially when the authors make a case for it to happen. But here? Not an element I enjoyed. I understood where the authors were going with it, but I so bought into Sam and Travis’ romance that this aspect never became palatable. How a reader feels about this (it’s really not cheating) will likely foretell how they feel about this installment in the series. Some readers will be asking if they can skip over this book (and yes, the third book sort of resolves this), but no *shakes finger*, unfortunately you can’t.

Think of each story as a building block essential to the whole construct. Miss even one, and you miss key elements that not only enrich the series but deepen the mystery and suspense Harner and Webb are working hard to build. So much of this story is worthy of your attention and commitment. And, perhaps, the few elements that bothered me won’t phase you in the least. This is going to be one wild ride!

Another reason to start reading this series? This year’s Pulp Friction 2015 gang situates all their interconnected series in the Altered States universe. So its double or is that quadruple the fun for all! So get started. Each is a fast, wild, suspenseful tale…over before you know it. However, don’t be astonished if it lingers on in the questions and clues left behind (and even more shockers).

Cover art by Laura Harner works for the series.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 120 pages
Published August 16th 2012 by Hot Corner Press
ISBN139781937252243
edition languageEnglish
seriesAltered States #1
charactersSam Garrett (Altered States), Travis Boudreaux

Books in the Altered States Series in the order they should be read:

Altered States (Altered States, #0.5)
Deep Blues Goodbye (Altered States, #1)
Deadly Shades of Gold (Altered States, #2)
Free Falling Crimson (Altered States, #3)

In the Book Spotlight: Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens

Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Goodreads Link

Author Catherine Lievens

Catherine lives in Italy, country of good food and hot men. She used to write fantasy as a child, but it was reading her first gay erotic romance novel that made her realize that that was what she really wanted to write.

After graduating from college in English language and translation, she divides her day between writing, reading, taking care of her son and reading some more.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.lievens.9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorCLievens
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/catherine200405/
Other: https://authorcatherinelievens.wordpress.com/

Publisher: Latrisha Waters
Cover Artist: eXtasy Books

Sales Links: eXtasy Books

About Oliver…

What matters is not what you are, but who you are.

Oliver is human, or at least he was until the Glass Research Company kidnapped him and experimented on him. Now he has a bear sharing his mind, but he’s not able to shift, and he’s confused. Is he a shifter, or a human? What’s worse, he’s getting sicker every day, and no one seems to know how to help him. He can’t even bond with his mate because he doesn’t want Sebastian to hurt if something happens to him.

Sebastian wants his mate to be cured, and the only way to do that is to go to New York and kidnap one of the company’s scientist. With the help of his pride brothers, he manages to do just that, but having Oliver cured doesn’t mean all their problems are over.

Oliver will have to deal with learning how to shift and trying to convince Sebastian that he’s fine and that he can be claimed, but once he manages to do that, other problems arise. Will the two lovers finally have the time to just be together, or will the pressure push them apart?

Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Oliver didn’t know what had happened or how to solve this. Well, he knew what had happened. He had shifted for the very first time, but did he really have to do it while naked in bed with Sebastian? Even more so, did it really have to be like, seconds after they had just made love and claimed each other?

If Sebastian hadn’t been so quick to move away, Oliver would have shifted while…ugh, he didn’t even want to think about it!

“Uh, love? Careful with those claws, okay?”

Oliver realized that he had been digging into the mattress so he awkwardly tried to get his claws out of the fabric, but it seemed that every move he made, he managed to just rip it apart a little more. He was scared to move, but he could hear the bed creaking. It wasn’t exactly made to host a fully grown bear plus his mate, even if Sebastian was in human form.

Pages or Words: 37,854 words

Contest: Enter to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter code provided by Pride Promotions below to enter and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
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Tour Dates: March 2, 2015

Tour Stops:

Parker Williams, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Molly Lolly, Inked Rainbow Reads, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, Bayou Book Junkie, For the Love of Bookends, Bike Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words,

Kimi-Chan, Fallen Angel Reviews, Cate Ashwood, My Fiction Nook, BFD Book Blog, My Fiction Nook, Velvet Panic

A MelanieM Review: Quinn’s Gambit by Angel Martinez and Bellora Quinn

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

An unregistered, human con wizard and a duty-bound, straightlaced elf cop. As New York explodes with dangerous creatures, their passion goes nuclear.

After a terrible magical accident at Berkeley created unpredictable holes between realities—all manner of non-human creatures started popping into our world. From selkies to trolls, elves to Sasquatches, all the magical creatures needed help because their was no returning them to their world or families. These magical events are called RARE—Random Anomalous Reality Events. And they have made magic now a reality, pulling it out of fiction and relocated it firmly in reality.

The result was a great deal of chaos, pain, anger, and confusion. Displaced elf Valerian works with AURA—the Agency of Unnatural Resettlement and Assimilation—to intercept these beings as they appear in the human world, helping the peaceful ones and subduing the violent, malevolent ones. It’s good, satisfying work, and Val would be happy if he wasn’t so lonely.

Quinten is a young human just trying to get by. But Quintan has a background awash in pain and betrayal and isn’t about to put his trust in any establishment, an attitude that makes New York City a difficult place to make a living. A bit of a con with a fluid moraltiy, still Quinten has a good heart if also one that’s kept under lock and key.

Living by his wits and sometimes magically-induced luck, he works as a ‘free-lance magic user’, or unregistered mage and small time con—according to the authorities. The last thing Quinn wants is to draw the cops’ attention, but when an Event happens right on top of him, he’s forced to turn to AURA for help. And that means an introduction to Val and the very agency Quinten has been trying to avoid.

But darker events are looming over all mage users and its’ up to Val, Quinten and a small group of friends (or almost friends) to stop the evil existing in their midsts.

Already a huge fan of Angel Martinez and her fantasy worlds, now I’m going to add Bellora Quinn to my list! Quinn’s Gambit, the first in a new Aura series, pulled me in by the first paragraph and kept me enthralled until the very last word. All of the characters the reader will meet inside Quinn’s Gambit are so beautifully realized! It really doesn’t matter who the character it, whether its Val, the elf prince, Kai, a drow and IT specialist and his lover Tensin a Yeti, or Sin aka Sinistrus a unlucky succubus who prefers men instead of the females he needs to feed on. One after another, a whole cast of bewitching characters appear to capture your heart and make you care about the tumultuous situation and universe they find themselves in.

The authors leave the origin of the blast and the experiment performed somewhat murky. All we know is that now holes in the fabric of the universe is allowing beings from other levels or plains of existence to fall through, permanently, into this one. Just from the mention of a selkie who committed suicide when she fell shockingly to ground in a desert in southwestern United States, and the reader gets it. These poor beings have been ripped without warning from their worlds and loved ones, and the authors make us feel their continued pain and confusion. Valerian lives with the constant pain of loss and we hurt for him because the cost to him and the others falls within the spectrum of loss we can well imagine.

Quinten is another special character. His background is slowly revealed to all in the story and once known, explains his living and working circumstances as well as the wall he has created around his heart. I think there is still so much more to be divulged about Quinn. There is an enormity to him and his powers that the authors are just starting to explore. Quinn is a puzzle and we still don’t have all the pieces to this compelling young man when we reach the end of this story. I can’t wait to see what else will come.

Quinn’s Gambit contains several mysteries, a ton of heartbreaking dramas, and, of course, a romance to begin and solidify between Quinn and Val. The writing is tight, the imaginative elements splendid and engrossing, and the heat that occurs between Quinn and Val so hot and sexy its almost combustible. The only place that I wanted more was the ending. I wanted it to be fuller, longer, and with more exposition to the scenes there. Yes, I wanted the “cherry on the top, with sprinkles”! Lucky for us all, Quinn’s Gambit is but the first in a new series, Aura, from Angel Martinez and Bellora Quinn. I. Can’t. Wait!

Pick up Quinn’s Gambit (AURA Series #1) by Angel Martinez and Bellora Quinn and begin your journey within this amazing new universe. It’s one of my favorite, highly recommended reads this month, perhaps of the year.

Cover artist Posh Gosh does a great job with the New York City skyline and Quinn. Terrific job.

Sales Links: Totally Bound Amazon Buy It Here links to come

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: March 6th 2015 by Totally Bound
ISBN139781784304423
edition languageEnglish
url https://www.totallybound.com/
seriesAURA Series #1

A Stella Review: Neon White E3 (A Tooth Claw and Horns Chronicle #3) by Wulf Francu Godgluck

Rating: 4,75 stars out of 5.

(Note:I subtracted 0,25 from the full 5 stars cause in the book there is an het sex scene too detailed for my taste)

This is going to be a bloody shit day. The Alpha is missing, for one thing. Raven’s partner Jessy is still struggling to deal with his death. Finding out that his body is missing from the morgue is a big enough shock, so what happens next is going to be unbelievable… Especially for Raven

This review contain spoilers on the Episode 2, so if you still haven’t read the previous books and don’t want spoilers, please don’t read this review. Still, you can go straight and buy this series, you don’t regret it.

In Episode 2 we left Raven and Bla’Gar at the Winter Ball, finally hoping for a future together. Bla’Gar tells our sweet Enforcer that he fell in love with him since the first time they met. Raven is still recovering from the incident with the hound in his parents’ home, an incident maybe not so casual, that left him probably destined to a desk job.

Raven and Bla’Gar parted ways because the demon is called by his pack. Once alone, Raven is assaulted and bitten by a vampire. Jessy, Rave’s partner, is the one to find him after the vampire’s attack. Jess is convinced that the responsible of Rave’s death is Bla’Gar, so she goes to him, but he has no idea his lover is dead and he can’t believe it, he needs proves. When Jess takes the demon to the morgue where Rave’s body is, they will find no one.
Where is Raven? He was murdered so he’s dead, right?

Everything we knew about the characters we learned to love changes again in this new chapter.This new episode was simply fantastic. Apart from the main story with Rave and Bla’Gar as MCs, we have two more stories that will catch your attention and will make you hungry for more.

More or less the first part is focused on Bla’Gar dealing with the kidnapping of Seth, the Alpha of the lycan pack, who just mated with Lucas. We learn more about the lycan pack and his dynamics, and most of all we’ll learn more about Seth’s life, which I suspect (and I hope) will be really important in the next book.

Another part shows us the new relationship between Jess and his mysterious boyfriend James. I say mysterious cause of course you can’t expect him to be human.

As I already said in the other reviews, being so short, I didn’t think to read a series with so well developed second characters, but I was wrong. Especially in this new instalment I learnt a lot about them and I met some new characters.
Loved it! All the way through the story the details are so perfect and brilliant and every new word was full of tension.

Highly recommended!

Cover art by Wulf Francu Godgluck. The covers of the three episodes are pretty much the same with just some little details that fit that episode completely. You’ll understand and realize it if you’ll decide to read the series. Well done Wulf!

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

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 62 pages
Published January 11th 2015
ASINB00S5BM3OW
edition languageEnglish
seriesA Tooth Claw an

A Stella Review: Neon White E2 (A Tooth Claw and Horns Chronicle #2) by Wulf Francu Godgluck

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Raven White is finding it very difficult to forget Chetlér – the demon has had a profound effect on him. But the daily grind goes on, bringing with it a new partner, an invitation to the Winter Ball, and an attempt on Raven’s life. No one attending the Ball could have foreseen how it would end – in blood and death.

Warning: contain spoilers of the episode 1

I love this series so much. As I already said in the review of the Episode 1 it’s not my usually genre, so I really have no idea how I fell in love with it and the author too. I love the concept Wulf created. This time too I found myself captured from the story and I couldn’t put it down for a minute.

In the Episode 1 we left Raven and Chetlér first in some hot position (LOL), and just when I was thinking I could have some romance, Bla’Gar screwed it all and sent my poor Raven away. We finally can see the demon hidden inside of him and something else (I can’t say more, just think bigger, people!). We learn more about Bla’Glar’s past and it isn’t a beautiful one, in some parts was really hard to know what he went through.

Raven has a lot to deal with. First of all, a new partner, the sweet Pyro Jessy. I liked her at first reading. She seemed strong and loyal. She’s just one of some new characters we’ll meet in this new episode and for a short like this one is amazing.
Furthermore, Raven is still trying to understand what’s behind his parents death and in one of his rare visit at his old home, he will meet a not so friendly hellhounds.

As in all my favorite romances, tragedy will bring Raven and Bla’Gar together, but just for a little bit, some hot kisses and then… damn cliffhanger! Did I tell you how much I hate cliffhangers? Well in this series every episode ends with one, so if you can, take all the three episodes, you’ll avoid to scream at the tablet. I was so sure my stupid tablet had stolen at least one more chapter and when I realized it was really the end, I wanted to scream to the author… “Where is the next one? You can’t end this story in this way, Wulf!!!”

Highly recommended!

Cover Art by Wulf Francu Godgluck. The covers of the three episodes are pretty much the same with just some little details that fit that episode completely. You’ll understand and realize it if you’ll decide to read the series. Well done Wulf!

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

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 31st 2014 (first published October 29th 2014)
ISBN139781311047151
edition languageEnglish
seriesA Tooth Claw and Horns Chronicle #

A Stella Review: Renounced (Southwestern Shifters #10) by Bailey Bradford

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 (just cause the sex scenes are really hot)

Nothing is as simple as it seems, or as safe.  Dallas Smith just wanted a nap in the hammock but he ends up being abducted by a jaguar shifter named Tiago. They have a distinctly different take on several subjects, and Dallas is shocked to learn just what Tiago really is.  Tiago thinks the wolves in the rainforest are an invasive species that need to leave.  Meanwhile, there’s a threat to the rainforest that no one saw coming. Marcus Criswell has had more losses in the past year or so than he can deal with. He has to, though, because he’s the Alpha Anax of the North American packs. The only reason he’s in South America is because his guard was kidnapped, but now Keegan is safe.  There’s still the matter of the man who tried to abduct Keegan. He can’t go unpunished. Then another shifter goes missing. Dallas, gone from the hammock in a heartbeat.  And on top of that, Maarten is missing.  It just got hotter than hell in Brazil.

Renounced by Bailey Bradford is the 10th book in the Southwestern Shifters series and the 1st I read. I can suggest you start reading this series from book #1, cause you’ll need a lot of background so you can’t lose yourself in the reading, as I did.

Tiago is a jaguar shifters, he lives in the Brazil’s rainforest. He’s keeping an eye of all the wolves that have invaded it, screwing up the ecosystem with drugs, guns fights and crashed planes. He has just one problem: he’s attracted to one of them. He’s never been so attracted to anyone as to this wolf. Maybe he could just have some fun with him and be over this obsession.

Dallas is a wolf shifter, smart and funny, he likes sex (a lot), he isn’t a good fighter but he’s good to please others. He got a hit in the head that messed with his sense of smell, so he can’t go hunting (a drug dealer/kidnapper/murderer) with his pack and decides to rest on a hammock. Here he is “kidnapped” by Tiago.

Dallas is soon attracted to Tiago and when he tries to leave him, Dallas realizes the jaguar is his mate. They can speak telepathically, just how only mates can do. But jaguars don’t have destined mates, they are solitary creatures. Can this two shifters find a common ground to be together? Can Tiago help the wolves find the bad jaguar who’s kidnapping pack members?

So far it seems everything is great. But…

My biggest problem with Renounced is that Dallas and Tiago story isn’t the only one in the book and most of all, I don’t get the feeling it is the main one. Even in series, I’m used to read a story about two MCs with second characters as a support cast. In Renounced each character is a lead actor in his story. We have the lust story between Tiago and Dallas, the love story between Marcus and Nathan, the rescue mission of Maarten. It’s like reading different stories, all at the same time. Just when I was starting to know more about one of them, the writing switches to another story, making each one of them (especially Tiago and Dallas’ one) approximate and incomplete. Honestly I’m not sure I like this writing choice.

For example, since the rescue mission takes a good first part of the book, maybe the author should have found a way to put Tiago and Dallas in it too. He would give use a chance to know this two characters better.

On top of this, the POV shifts between each characters and it confuses me.

Last thing I didn’t like at all (and this is totally a personal taste) was the use of the word tits. I can totally blame the fact that I’m Italian and maybe in English it is a synonym of nipple but in my crazy mind only women have tits. So here I am, reading a really hot sex scene, YES! finally something I liked in this book, the sex is hot as hell and recurrent. Anyway here I am, at that very moment, then I read “tits” and bye bye steamy sex. I couldn’t stop giggle. I read a ton of mm books and I’m almost sure I have never found this word in any of them.

Still, I need to read more about this author, me and this book are not destined mate, but I’m sure I’ll find another one to like.

Cover Art by Posh Gosh I can only say it’s gorgeous, very well done.

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

Book Details:
Southwestern Shifters series #10
Published January 9th 2015 by Totally Bound
ebook, 147 pages
ISBN13 9781784303549

Southwestern Shifters Series:

Rescued (Southwestern Shifters, #1)
Relentless (Southwestern Shifters, #2)
Reckless (Southwestern Shifters, #3)
Rendered (Southwestern Shifters #4)
Resilience (Southwestern Shifters, #5)
Reverence (Southwestern Shifters #6)
Revolution (Southwestern Shifters, #7)
Revenge (Southwestern Shifters, #8)
Reluctance (Southwestern Shifters, #9)
Renounced (Southwestern Shifters #10)

Side Stories:

A Happy Fourth
Hearts and Tails

Here’s A Valentine for You From Toni Griffin~ A Very Holland Valentine! (book tour and contest)

A Very Holland Valentine (Holland Brothers #6) by Toni Griffin
Release Date: February 14, 2015

Author Toni Griffin Bio:

Toni Griffin lives in Darwin, the smallest of Australia’s capital cities. Born and raised in the state she’s a Territorian through and through. Growing up Toni hated english with a passion (as her editors can probably attest to) and found her strength lies with numbers.   Now, though, she loves escaping to the worlds she creates and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come. She’s a single mother of one and works full time. When she’s not writing you can just about guarantee that she will be reading one of the many MM authors she loves.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.griffin.author
Website: http://www.tonigriffin.net/
E-mail: info(at)tonigriffin.net
https://twitter.com/MischiefCorner

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books
Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

Sales Links:

More About “A Very Holland Valentine”…

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and with it the completion of the renovations to their home. None could be happier about this then Zack who can’t wait to get away from Maryanne and all her fussing.

Plans are being finalised for all four couples for the happy day. However, sleezy tradies, an over protective mother-in-law and unexpected complications throw spanners in the works.
Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, wolf shifters

Pages or Words: 24,000 words

A Very Holland Valentine Excerpt:

Simon sat at his desk, looking over yet another financial report. The numbers were swimming on the screen, all blurring into one large incomprehensible blob. He pushed back from his desk and rubbed his eyes. They were watering from staring at his computer for so long.

He stood and walked to the window. The view wasn’t anything breathtaking, but Simon still loved it anyway. He was on the first floor and he could see the town he loved from his window.

His mind wasn’t on his work. Rarely had been since he’d found out he was going to be a father. Yes, he was already a dad. He loved Hayley with all his heart and treated her as if she were his own. But the utter joy he’d felt the morning they discovered Zack was carrying had stayed with him all this time, even seven weeks later.

Dr. Owens had examined Zack and let them know that he was due to deliver at the end of February. Only four weeks away and Simon couldn’t wait. He’d missed out on Hayley’s early years, and after watching his brothers with their children, Simon really couldn’t wait to hold his son or daughter. He was even looking forward to the midnight feedings and the dirty diapers.

He checked his watch. Seeing it was coming up for four in the afternoon, Simon decided to call it a day. He didn’t usually leave that early, but there was nothing in his tray that couldn’t wait for tomorrow, and frankly, he couldn’t concentrate.

Simon wanted to see his mate.

Zack was stunning all swollen with his child. Zack might not think so, but Simon did. The knowledge that he had filled his mate with his seed and they had created life together struck at the heart of Simon. He wanted to growl with pride every time he laid eyes on the love of his life. He didn’t think the rest of his family would appreciate it, though, so kept his triumphant growls to himself.

Simon packed away his paperwork and shut down his computer. He pocketed his phone and grabbed his car keys. On his way out, he stopped at his personal assistant’s desk.

“Mara, I’m taking the rest of the afternoon off.”

Mara looked up from the papers she was reading through. “Everything okay, boss?” She eyed him quizzically.

He couldn’t blame her, he didn’t often leave early. Although since Hayley and Zack had come into his life, he no longer stayed late well after everyone else had left like he used to.

“Everything’s fine. Just having some trouble concentrating and my eyes are starting to hurt.”

Simon smiled. He couldn’t exactly tell her that he wanted to get home to his pregnant mate and see how the man was doing. “Figured I’d call it a day and come back tomorrow refreshed and ready for a new day.”

“See you in the morning, then.”

“Bye.”

Simon felt better just walking out of work. The fact that he would soon get to see Zack was a major factor in his cheerfulness. He decided to stop at the local bakery on the way home and pick up one of the lemon meringue pies Zack loved. Both Hayley and Simon enjoyed them as well, but watching Zack eat a piece was nothing short of erotic. Simon would have to make sure there was some left over and feed it to his mate in bed tonight once Hayley was asleep.

He could picture the way Zack would dart his tongue out to lick the fork, making sure he gathered every last morsel of cake. The quiet moan that would work its way out of Zack’s lips as he savoured the sweet and tangy pie. The sight of his throat working as he swallowed. Fuck! Simon reached down to discreetly adjust his suddenly hard and aching prick as he walked down the street toward the bakery. He couldn’t wait to get home and get his mate alone in bed.

Living under his mum and dad’s roof again after so many years had been a major adjustment, especially because he now had Zack with him. He’d never really thought about the logistics of making love to his mate. The windows of the house were opened during the night to let the cool breeze through. They used fans as well, but they didn’t make much noise. There was no way in hell he wanted his folks to hear him having sex, so they had to keep things very sedate and quiet.

Simon missed pounding his mate into the mattress. They had tried that the night after they’d moved in and found the bed squeaked outrageously. Zack had turned the most adorable shade of red and put a stop to their actions almost immediately.

Not that Simon was complaining. He loved his mate any way he could get him. With Zack’s girth increasing steadily over the last month, things had slowed down even further. The last thing Simon wanted to do was hurt his mate or their cub in any way. Zack kept telling him that he wouldn’t hurt them, but Simon preferred to err on the side of caution.

Tonight would be an exercise in restraint for him, but he didn’t care. His mate deserved a treat. He knew his mother was more than likely driving his poor mate up the wall. Simon could remember what it was like when they were growing up and one of them was injured in any way. The woman turned into the world’s biggest mother hen. Now she had one of her sons-in-law living under her roof and pregnant with another of her grandcubs. Simon shuddered to think what she was like.

 Tour Dates: February 16, 2015

Parker Williams, My Fiction Nook, Molly Lolly, Kristy’s Brain Food, Bayou Book Junkie, Cate Ashwood, BFD Book Blog, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Blogger Girls, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Angel Martinez, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Fallen Angel Reviews, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, All I Want and More Books, Inked Rainbow Reads, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Bike Book Reviews,

(Publishing on February 17) Multitasking Mommas

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card and 2 copies of A Very Holland Valentine. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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Now on to our interview…

A Most Desired Pulp Friction Chat…..

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Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens Release Date: March 1, 2015 Goodreads Link

About Oliver…

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Author Toni Griffin Bio:

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More About “A Very Holland Valentine”…

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Oliver (Whitedell Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Goodreads Link