A MelanieM Review: Midnight Rodeo: Homecoming by Kiernan Kelly, Julia Talbot, B.A.Tortuga

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Does just the thoughts of a rodeo fill you with anticipation of fun, knuckle cracking suspense and danger? And good looking cowboys too? What happens when you take all that and add in demons, vampires, weres of all types, and a ghost or two? The answer to the last question is Midnight Rodeo: Homecoming ,a collection of three stories by authors Kiernan Kelly, Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga.

The Darque and Knight Rodeo is famous for its wild bulls, great bull riders ,over the top bullfighters and much, much more. If only the humans who came to watch knew who and what were really behind the gates and stands when this rodeo came to town. Three stories look into the lives and loves of the Darque and Knight Rodeo. This rodeo is run and employees nothing but Supes as the Supernatural are known, in search of a home, love and a family.

Those stories are Welcome to the Pack by BA Tortuga, Oklahoma Rain by Kiernan Kelly, and Big Bear, Little Bear, by Julia Talbot. Don’t miss out on a single one!

This book checked all the boxes for me. It’s got the rodeo and cowboys (as such), it’s got weres (both cat, wolf, and more), vampires, demons, and paranormals…all on the search for love, home, and a family. It’s also by Kiernan Kelly, BA Tortuga, and Julia Talbot, a trio of authors who always manage to bring it home with their stories and viewpoints. All three stories are centered around the Darque and Knight Rodeo (love that play on words).

I’ll be taking a look at each story as they appear in the book. First up? A werewolf homecoming of sorts in “Welcome to the Pack”.

“Welcome to the Pack” by BA Tortuga – 4.75 stars

Bullfighter Denver returns home when his twin brother and pack Alpha, Denton, is killed by a bull at The Darque and Knight Rodeo. Denver left the pack when it was decided that Denton would be the Alpha and now Denver is returning to reclaim the role and get the pack in order. It’s been decades since Denver has been back and the pack isn’t all that happy to see him. Denver must fight for the right to be Alpha and try to heal the hole caused by the loss of his brother. Only another outcast, Blaine, seems to be in his corner. A necessary support to have when all the bulls they fight are possessed by demons!

My favorite story of the three but not by much. The universe building here is superb. I can’t get enough of this rodeo and all the beings that make up this rodeo! This is a tale of two brothers, really. One has died by the beginning of the story but Denton’s presence is felt throughout as Denver greatly misses him and is often compared to his brother. Denver has been working the “mundane” rodeo circuit as humans are called and now returns to his former pack in disarray. They’ve gotten sloppy, mean, and not exactly welcoming to Denver. As Denver fights his way back into the pack, he finds a mate and a home. Along the way the readers finds out such details as there is a caged demon inside of each bull. I’m sure that many cowboys would find this entirely plausible! The cat shifters, a pride, that runs the cafeteria, food stands, and give massages to those they care for. I would love a story about that Pride and its members.

Blaine, an outsider by way of his unusual birth and size, is a wonderful character. I adored him and his relationship with Denver. This is the longest story of the three and could easily have been its own book. And series. Plus there is a Russian tiger shifter, Dimitri, in need of a mate. I need that story as badly as he does his HEA! I wonder if BA Tortuga takes bribes?

Oklahoma Rain by Kiernan Kelly – 5 stars

Blaze Morgan looks like a mundane but he’s not. Instead Blaze has a hidden psychic talent that allows him to scout out the locations in small towns along the rodeo circuit where Darque and Knight can set up for a while. Blaze supplies patches when holes appear in the magic wards that kept their real identities masked and the magical nature of their rodeo hidden from the mundanes that buy the tickets at each stop. Blaze even has a talent for mind control but that only applies to the humans he meets and not any Supes he comes into contact with. That proves to be a problem when Blaze finds a homeless pair hiding out on the deserted farm where Darque and Knight are getting ready to set up for a run.

Zack and 10 year old human Mikey have been using the farm as their home for a while and Blaze’s appearance shattered the temporary home they have made together. Telekinetic Zack saved Mikey from abusive kidnapper, and the farm has served them both as a place for Mikey to try and heal and a haven for Zack. Blaze invites them to join the rodeo as they can always use another psychic but not everyone is happy to have a human child around.

This story got me too. Loved poor damaged Mikey and his relationship with Zack. Zack, Blaze and Mikey make a wonderful family but not everyone is happy to have them there. Kelly builds the suspense and anguish skillfully as she does the love and bonding between the two men and the wounded child. As it all comes to an explosive ending, the reader is fully engaged and ready to do battle along side Zack, and Blaze to keep their family safe and together.

Loved this story too as so many other types of beings appear here to deepen the universe all three authors are building. Vampire Cody and Demon Philip own and run Darque and Knight, dragons are used as barrel racers and a single burp can set the tents on fire. Cheetah shifters and wolf shifters and so many others are bull riders, barrel racers, and more. There is even a Grand Wizard Dermid who sets the spells that enchant the rodeo to keep it safe. It just keeps getting more fascinating the more you know about it.

Big Bear, Little Bear, by Julia Talbot – 4.5 stars

Grizzly bear shifter Ozzie is the barrel man and clown for Darque and Knight Rodeo. Little Black Bear shifter, Ben, trains and supplies the best rodeo horses while managing on being the worst bulldogger. And Ben has the biggest crush of Ozzie but Ozzie thinks Ben’s too young and inexperienced. Then Ben is badly hurt and sent home to recover. When Ben comes back, Ozzie is surprised how much he has missed the little bear. But there’s something different about Ben, something he’s hiding and Ozzie is determined to get to the truth and let the little bear know how much he cares.

Of course, the barrel man and clown is a Grizzly shifter! How perfect! And Julia Talbot gets the feel of a bear in human form just right as they lumber along with their love of honey, fruits, and finally each other. The author brings the natural history of bears into her story in subtle but genuine ways and it just elevates this story up another notch. Ben’s injury almost killed him and the ensuing trauma has had enormous side effects, as it should. Ben’s gentleness and forlorn demeanor plays off beautifully against the jovial good nature and confidence of Ozzie. They are made for each other and Julia Talbot’s lovely story charts the path of their romance from start to finish. More please, much, much more!

I really adored Midnight Rodeo: Homecoming. I can only hope that this book is a precursor of more stories to come. Darque and Knight Rodeo is full of amazing beings, each with their own stories to tell. How did Philip and Cody get together? A demon and a vamp? What about Dimitri and the Pride of cat shifters? Plus there is Denver’s triplet brothers to get in trouble and surely other paranormals that could use a job at a rodeo? I can think of character after character with a story that needs telling and these three authors are just the ones to do it.

I highly recommend Midnight Rodeo: Homecoming. Its fun, lively, engrossing….just a great read. Pick it up and become involved in the lives of the supernatural and paranormal as they find their way to HEA and a home. You will be happy you did.

Sales Links: Torquere Press All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Midnight Rodeo: Homecoming

Cover by Anne Squires. Love this cover. I only wish there had been a bit of a supernatural air about it, maybe claws on the hand or something.

Book Details:

ebook, 228 pages
Published July 16th 2014 by Torquere Press
ISBN 1610407776 (ISBN13: 9781610407779)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=4220

Review: The Choosing by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

In the shapeshifter village Eladir, all are shapeshifters regardless of gender. But how they become shapeshifters differs dramatically for the boys. Unlike the girls who are able to shift almost from birth with their animal already tattooed on their bodies, the boys have to wait until their 18th birthday or so when their fangs first drop and then must go through The Choosing in order to find out what animal they are, have the ability to shift and find a mate. And what Jerath fears the most, at 19, is that his fangs will never drop and he will never have an animal spirit of his own let alone find someone to mate with. On top of his insecurity about his lack of fangs is the fact that Jerath is attracted only to boys, not girls, and the ritual through which he is chosen depends upon his sexual union with a girl, something Jerath is not sure he can do.

The Choosing must only be performed at a full moon which is still some time away so Jerath and his best friend Serim spend their time running in the woods and discussing their hopes for the future. While on just such an afternoon, the village Eladir is attacked by slave raiders who capture all the boys still unmarked as well as others. Fearful and in need of help, Jerath and his best friend, Serim, head out cross country to the one place they hope will help them, a village and people known to them only through stories. Along the way, they meet Meren, a handsome warrior who is returning to the very village they seek. The attraction between Meren and Jerath is immediate and deep. But Meren is not a shapeshifter and his feelings towards sexual encounters is far more relaxed than the virginal Jerath’s. With the full moon fast approaching, it is imperative that the prisoners be rescued or they will lose not only their freedom but the ability to shift forever. Jerath needs Meren’s help but his own shifting moods and emotions are not helping, making the search harder as does the increasing depth of their attraction towards each other. As the obstacles in their path mount up against them, will Jerath be able to save the prisoners and keep his heart from breaking? Or will all be lost before the next full Moon?

The Choosing by Annabelle Jacobs brought about a myriad of emotions and thoughts about this book. The author has painted a story that has a broad canvas with a far reaching story that covers religion, coming of age, and differing cultures, perhaps too large a canvas. Jacobs has created a geographical universe bound together by a Goddess and the limitations of population upon a singular habitat. There are several villages surrounded by Arachia Mountains whose four peaks protect the valley and the villages from being attacked “from the rear”. The villages are surrounded by woods as well which are being cut down to make room for more families as each village contains three to four hundred people. The villages are governed by the laws of the Goddess of the Woods. Here is an excerpt that will explain it in village lore:

He listens to Serim sigh before she begins to recite the oldest of the forest laws. “When the moon is full, each and every boy who is of age shall choose a willing female. If the boy is deemed worthy, together they will consummate their union and invoke the spirits of the forest to bless the boy with their magic. Only then will his animal form be revealed.” The people of Eladir can shift their human form into that of one of the sacred beasts of legend: the lynx, tiger, black panther, and jaguar. These animals used to roam the forest when there were no villages here, so the village elders tell. It was by the Goddess’s goodwill that people were allowed to settle in the forest, and in return the villagers accepted her magical gift—the power to shift—and helped protect her animals whenever they were in danger.

By now some of the oddities in her world building should be popping up at you. A confined habitat ruled by one Goddess that has given her people the ability to shift into animals to help protect her other animals and the woods. The animals chosen just happen to be four large cat species that used to roam the woods the people now inhabit. Hmmm, so what happened to those original cat populations? And would you really chose large predators to protect deer, fish and bunnies? Perhaps not in my universe but it definitely happens within Jacobs’ world building. Now add to that the fact that the villagers are growing in families. What happens to a habitat that becomes overcrowded? I think a Woods Goddess might have a problem with that. And she did and she took care of it. By banishing another whole village from the woods and mountains because of overhunting. That’s where Meren’s people comes in. But no where it is addressed that Jerath’s villagers are rapidly deforesting said woods because of their own exploding populations, so the world building starts to break down even further. I also wonder about a Goddess that has a finite range of influence because the raiders definitely aren’t Goddess worshiping people. Now I have many, many more questions, observations about the incongruities in this author’s world building but by now there are so many piling up that its just not necessary. It’s kind of neat, but all the elements just don’t add up to one cohesive universe in which to place her story.

The Choosing is Annabelle Jacobs’ take on the ritualized coming of age in fantasy stories. I liked the fact that each gender has its own path with the females born with fangs and the ability to shift, their animal already identified by marks (really cool birthmarks not tattoos which are artificial), cat figures on their skin. Gender specific characteristics do occur in nature and I liked that she picked up on that. Then for some reason, the Goddess later decides the men should have the ability to shift as well and gifts them with the chance to choose a cat and shift through a ritual called The Choosing. It includes male/female sex that brings the Goddess, a real presence, into the situation and lets her bless the joining. But Jerath just happens to be gay and doesn’t want any f/m joining and doesn’t think he can apply himself as it were to the situation. No worries, it turns out that when the time comes, he does too and the Goddess smiles on him.

And that large part of the story will leave most readers of m/m fiction frowning and wanting to leave this story behind. Because the m/f joining and the het sex does take up most of the first part of the story. Jacobs does handle it by saying it gives Jerath and his friend a deeper connection to each other (well, yes) while leaving them free to find their mates but I think more readers looking for primarily a m/m romance will be gone by that time. Honestly, I felt this aspect of the story could have been made smaller and the romance between Jerath and Meren enlarged without hurting the plot but that is just my opinion.

The rest of the book is the hunt for the villagers taken by the raiders and the will they, won’t they romance of Jerath and Meren. I still don’t feel that the author gave us a good explanation as to why a village of over three hundred cat shifters was taken by surprise by a smaller group of raiders. Or if it was a larger group of raiders, it would have to have been a city’s worth and they would have sounded like elephants. Surely the Goddress would have let them know danger was coming? After all didn’t she create them to help protect her woods and creatures? Wouldn’t all those birds have given flight and sounded alarm? How about all those cat senses?The more I think about it, the more holes appear in the plot and I just have to leave it alone.

So I think I will leave this review here. The Choosing has some inventive elements and some nice characterizations in a story that takes 210 pages to tell and for me those pages did not go by swiftly. If you like your m/m romance minus het sex, than this is not for you. If you like your stories cohesive and powerful, this isn’t for you either. But if you are a fan of fantasy and shifters and love them all, pick this up and add one more cat shifter universe to your collection.

Cover art by Brooke Albrecht is just stunning. I so wished the story had lived up to the promise of the cover.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon The Choosing

Book Details:

ebook, 210 pages

Published October 18th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN 1627981918 (ISBN13: 9781627981910)

edition language English

url http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4265

Review: Hero by Heidi Cullinan

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Hal Porter left his family and home believing that his large Catholic family would never accept his homosexuality. In fact, Hal is not even sure he accepts it. But he thought that a new city, new apartment and job would bring a new perspective. Instead it brought more questions, long hours as a construction worker and loneliness.

Strange things are happening at the construction site Hal is working on. There’s a huge empty lot in the middle of the job that all avoid. A lot on which a strange bar appears and disappears at will. And at times Hal swears he sees a crystal tower and a balcony on which stands the most beautiful man Hal has ever scene. Something about that lonely figure calls to Hal like nothing ever has in his life.

When a strange fox like woman approaches Hal from the bar, she has a quest for Hal. A long enchanted shape shifter needs saving, needs a hero…and Hal is that person chosen to save him. But can Hal be the hero when all his life he has been told he is nothing special? And when love approaches in the form of the shape shifter, will Hal be able to accept his homosexuality in time to save them both?

Hero is large in heart while short in length. I loved so much about this story that I wished it was as large in length as it was in emotions and depth of storyline. Heidi Cullinan took this “prince in a tower needing to be saved” story and gave it quite a few marvelous and fresh twerks, not the least of which is a prince instead of a princess who needs a hero.

Some of the wonderful surprises Heidi has in store for the reader are things that should be left as elements to wonder at when you come upon them in the course of the tale. But others, like choosing the kitsune as the shape shifters and Japanese lore as a foundation for those magical beings are both charming and new. I wish Cullinan had gone a little more in depth into the kitsune legends but what is here is marvelous and intriguing.

And then there is the bar/tower. Such an amazing idea and construct. This aspect of Hero almost made the entire story for me. But the figure of Hal Porter must always remain at the top. He is such a lovely, gentle man. A Catholic who is wrestiling with the church’s idea of homosexuality versus his love of men, Hal is a man divided between the mother and family he loves and being true to himself. Cullinan brings Hal and his internal monologues into sharp focus. We love Hal for the decent, caring person he is and understand the insecurities and lack of self esteem his upbringing has caused. Hal Porter is a wonderful character and we are happy to follow in his footsteps towards acceptance, bravery and love.

This book has not yet been released yet (August 13) by Wilde City Press but when it is, grab it up and start reading. I think you will be as charmed as I was by Hal Porter, the kitsune prince and the quest for love no matter where you find it.

Cover art by Wilde City Press. That is an unbelievable cover. One of the Best of 2014 for me. And it works perfectly for the story in every way!

Buy Links: Wilde City Press All Romance eBook (ARe) Amazon – links to come

Book Details:

Sequel to MILES AND THE MAGIC FLUTE

Length: 60,000 words
Link: http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-mainstream/hero/#.U9Mhys3OjFM
Release Date: August 13

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published May 27th 2014 by Wilde City Press (first published December 4th 2009)
original titleHero
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.heidicullinan.com/books/hero

STRW July Review Summary and Best July 2014 Covers

July 2014 Book Review Summary

And

Best Covers of July 2014

*Key:
STRW S series
C contemporary
F-fantasy
SF-science fiction
PN-paranormal
SP-supernatural
H-historical
HR-horror
N-Nonfiction
YA-young adult

Rating Scale: 1 to 5, 5 stars is outstanding

5 Star Rating:

Blown Hard by Havan Fellows STRWCS PF2014
Flare-up by Laura Harner STRWC PF2014
In Despair by Megan Derr STRWFS
Loving Luki Vasquez by Lou Sylvre STRWCS
Tremors by T.A. Webb STRWC PF2014

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:

Faire Protector by Madeleine Ribbon (4.5) STRWFS
Forever Hold His Peace by Rebecca Cohen (4.75) STRWHS
Hard As Stone by Rory Ni Coileain (4.5) STRWFS
Noble Metals by L.A. Witt (4.25) STRWFS Steampunk
Second Helpings by Charlie Cochrane (4) STRWC
Strength of the Mate by Kendall McKenna (4.5) STRWSPS
Taking Chances by Lee Brazil (4.5) STRWCS PF2014 side story
The Rusted Sword by R.D. Hero (4) STRWF
Wolf Run by B.A. Tortuga (4.5) STRWSP m/m/m

3 to 3.75 Star Rating:

Belligerent Beta by Poppy Dennison (3.5) STRWSPS
Home the Hard Way by Z.A. Maxfield (3.75) STRWC
One Door Closes by G.B. Lindsey (3.75) STRWCS
Running Wild by SE Jakes (3.75) STRWCS
Somebody to Love by Merry Farmer (3.25) STRWHS
Son of a Fish by Kenzie Cade (3.75) STRWC
Unexpected Rescue by Sylvia Violet (3.5) STRWCS

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:

None

*rounded up to 5 stars

Best Covers of July 2014:

Flare-Up, Cover Art by Laura Harner
Forever Hold His Peace. Cover Art by Anne Cain
Home the Hard Way, Cover art by Amber Shah
In Despair, Cover Art by Aisha Akeju
Loving Luki Vasquez, Cover Art by Reese Dante
Nobel Metals, Cover Art by April Lee
Running Wild, Cover Art by L.C. Chase|
Strength of the Mate. Cover Art by Jared Rackler

Review: Strength of the Mate (The Tameness of the Wolf #3) by Kendall McKenna

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Adam Madison, convoy driver for the military contractor Ares in Iraq, is a good man suffering under a ton of issues. Younger brother to Major Tim Madison, a officer assigned to werewolf military, Adam has long association of resentment of his brother and poor judgement calls he has made throughout his life. Plus the death of his youngest brother has continued to haunt him. Now assigned to Camp Fallujah, Adam is driving supply trucks for the Marines. But things are tense at the camp. The werewolves stationed there lack discipline and the Camp Alpha seems to reward bad behavior instead of controlling and dispelling it with his authority. It’s affecting morale and their mission.

When Noah sends his Omega, Dawson Rivers, to get the camp and the shifters under control, Dawson finds that Adam helps him understand the conflicts inside and out of the camp. Their old attraction flares up again as they work closely together to bring order back to Camp Fallujah. But Adam has had little contact with shifters before and he lacks the necessary information and back history to understand all the issues at stake, including what Dawson’s actions towards him means.

As their relationship strengthens into a bond, the insurgents up their attacks on the Camp and the convoys. When one such ambush succeeds, the end result is devastating. Only through Dawson and Adam’s bond might their relationship and each other survive.

Strength of the Mate, the third in The Tameness of the Wolf series by Kendall McKenna, brings back a divisive character from the previous stories, Adam Madison, Tim Madison’s younger brother. In the last story, Strength of the Wolf, Adam’s scenes with his brother were full of anger, jealousy, and pain. Long estranged from Tim, Adam’s actions were often petulant and explosive. And while the reader was given part of the back history of Adam’s problems, it didn’t exactly make him a likable character. Now he gets his own story and the switch in perspective changes everything.

I love Kendall McKenna’s characters. Steeped in military tradition and settings, they always come across as gritty and real. Adam is no exception. He is cool under fire, fueled by adrenaline, and proud of his capabilities. Adam has grown up in Iraq, and the long distance and his missions have given him a new slant on his brother and their relationship. But the one thing they do not have in common is Tim’s close association and knowledge of shifters.. Adam works with them at Marine Corps Base Camp Fallujah, Fallujah, Iraq but the Camp Alpha has everything in such turmoil that Adam isn’t sure what and how a were should act. As seen from Adam’s eyes, the Camp is as dangerous a place as the insurgent controlled outskirts of town. Weres are fighting other weres, and harassing the human Marines as well. It’s a horrible situation, one that Adam flees while he drives his truck.

Into this mess strides Dawson Rivers, the True Alpha’s Omega. Sent to get the camp under control, what happens almost instantaneously is that the attraction between Adam and Dawson reignites as soon as they do. Having met previously back in the States, working together to restructure the Camp and out on the convoys, their attraction deepens into first a connection and then a bond. It’s sexy, complicated and at times, uncertain but the author always lets the reader know that these men are intended for each other.

With Kendall McKenna, its hard to separate her men from their locations as it is so much a part of who they are as Marines or in Adam’s case, a military convoy driver. McKenna’s descriptions are tight, gritty, and authentic in detail and atmosphere. You can feel the blazing sun and the dust from the desert sands of Camp Fallujah. The small showers, the cots and mess, they all are so vividly described that scene after scene pulls you down into their experiences and makes it yours. Going about their duties in camp are a host of human and shifter Marines that play a number of important roles in Strength of the Mate. Whether it is Corporal Jason Rodriguez, the young shifter who rides guard with Adam in the truck or Private First Class Roger Allen, as well as Lance Corporal Will Borovec, a shifter who gets picked on, you embrace these young Marines the more you get to know them. Kendall McKenna has paid as much attention to getting these secondary characters right as she does to her main ones. Each is a marvelous portrait of a youngster at war. Some are cocky, a little arrogant, some like to kid around, others not so much. But their actions and reactions to the situations they find themselves are recognizable and it makes them all easy to relate to. How I love these guys, every single one.

The romance and bonding of Adam and Dawson is the center thread of this tapestry and it runs passionate and bright through all the turmoil at Camp, the insurgents whose actions are increasingly putting the convoys and the Marine’s mission in danger, and all the other elements McKenna has introduced into the plot. It helps to introduce Adam to more of the shifter history, it gives him a better perspective on Tim and his mate, Jeremy, and it provides a needed solace to his old pain. I wish we had a little more of Dawson’ s internal thinking and emotions but I loved what the author delivered to us. Dawson is amazing. Although, I did find myself wishing that his “violet eyes” had been mentioned a little less throughout the narrative. That was my only issue here. Had the author cut back on the epithets for Dawson’s eye color, than this would have been a five star story. As it is, that issue is a minor irritation, nothing more. And others may find it doesn’t bother them at all.

There is already another story in the works, Strength of the Warrior (The Tameness of the Wolf, #4). I can’t wait for that to come out. Kendall McKenna has created an amazing soldier shifter universe here and with each new story, she strengthens and deepens her world building and the incredible characters that are so much a part of this series. I loved Adam and Dawson. Their story was alternately, gripping, suspenseful, lusty, and romantic. Or sometimes all at the same time. I couldn’t put it down. Strength of the Mate is one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Favorites and Most Highly Recommended Stories and Series.

Cover Art by Jared Rackler. Love this cover, hot, hot, hot!

Buy Links: MLR Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Strength of the Mate

Book Details:

ebook, 356 pages
Published June 20th 2014 by MLR Press (first published June 2014)
original titleStrength of the Mate
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Tameness of the Wolf #3
charactersAdam Madison, Dawson Rivers, Tim Madison, Lucas Young, Noah Hammond

Books in The Tameness of the Wolf series include in the order they were written and should be read:

Strength of the Pack (The Tameness of the Wolf, #1)
Strength of the Wolf (The Tameness of the Wolf, #2)
Strength of the Mate (The Tameness of the Wolf, #3)
Strength of the Warrior (The Tameness of the Wolf, #4) coming soon at MLR Press.

Audiobook Tour for Tara Lain’s The Pack or the Panther! (contest included)

Audio Book Blast for The Pack or the Panther by Tara Lain

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Book Name: The Pack or the Panther (audiobook)
Author Name: Tara Lain
Author Bio:

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 21. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

Author Links:

Website:
Blog:
Goodreads Author Page
Twitter:
FB Page:
Newsletter: Newsletter

Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Narrator: Max Lehnen
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

The Pack or the Panther Blurb:

Cole Harker, son of an alpha werewolf, is bigger and more powerful than most wolves, tongue-tied in groups, and gay. For twenty-four years, he’s lived to please his family and pack—even letting them promise him in marriage to female werewolf Analiese to secure a pack alliance and help save them from a powerful gangster who wants their land. Then Cole meets Analiese’s half-brother, panther shifter Paris Marketo, and for the first time, Cole wants something for himself.

When Analiese runs off to marry a human, Cole finally has a chance with Paris, but the solitary cat rejects him, the pack, and everything it represents. Then Cole discovers the gangster wants Paris too and won’t rest until he has him. What started as a land dispute turns into World War Wolf! But the bigger fight is the battle between cats and dogs.

✍

The Pack or the Panther Excerpt:

Cole took hold of a branch a few feet from Paris. “Do you think the alliance will stand?” He shrugged. “Hard to say. I know everyone hopes so, so I hope so too.” Cole pulled his eyebrows together. “But you don’t really care.”

Paris looked up sharply. “Yes, I care. I care about my parents. They’ve been good to me and I owe them a lot. I’m a freak by wolf standards, and my father has never abjured me. I honestly believe he kept me separate for my well-being more than his own. He acknowledges me as his son even though I remind him of his greatest sorrow.”

“Your panther mother.” He nodded. “And Trixie isn’t a brave female. My existence is difficult for her, but she’s been nothing but good to me. She had to stand against the combined disapproval of a lot of other females for me. They didn’t know what I was, but they knew I was Merced’s first wife’s son. They weren’t kind. She was. I value her and want the best.”

Cole nodded. If there was one thing he understood, it was loyalty.

“And then there’s you.”

Cole glanced up. Look at that mischievous face. He’d switched from deeply serious to court jester in one second flat. “What about me?” He grinned.
The cat danced around his tree, unfastening buttons on his shirt with intricate skill. “You want the alliance and I want you. Isn’t that an Aristotelian principle? If A equals B and B equals C, then Paris wants Cole to have his alliance so Paris can have Cole’s big yummy cock in his ass. An ass, I might add, that’s been throbbing like a voodoo drum since I first looked in your silver eyes, wolfman.” He whipped off the shirt, leaving his upper body bare.

Wow. Even knowing what was coming, that sight was hard to believe. The cat’s skin glowed in the moonlight like so much alabaster formed into a work of art. If you liked bulky, you wouldn’t like Paris. But if the look of a black leopard stealing along a branch stilled your heart, this sight would do it for you down to the ground. Not really slim. More like lean, with muscles just where they should be, but as if they were made of silk rather than stone. Fluid.
Paris reached and grabbed a branch, then pulled himself up one-armed until he leaned over the wood on his belly. Flip. He circled and came up to sitting, his upper body glowing and long legs dangling. He spread his arms out for a second as if balancing on a tightrope. Then he reached in and started to unfasten his belt. Slowly, he slipped it from his trousers, then swung it over his head until it caught on an upper branch.

He pulled himself to standing and used one hand to slowly lower his fly. White showed in the gap. Oh my. Not white underwear. White skin. Cole shuddered. He wasn’t used to this kind of sexy. Hell, who was? This cat was one of a kind.

 Tour Dates: July 15th, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, My Fiction Nook, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Prism Book Alliance, Amanda C. Stone, Romance the Night, Redz World, Emotion in Motion, Cate Ashwood, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Hearts on Fire, Velvet Panic, Kimber Vale, MM Good Book Reviews, Iyana Jenna, Night Owl Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Kimi-Chan, Buffy’s Ramblings

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: One audio copy, 2 e-copies of The Pack or the Panther by Tara Lain. To enter use the Rafflecopter link above. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

E-copies: Available Dreamspinner Press, AMAZON, ARe. And other resellers
Audiobook: available at Dreamspinner Press.

More Winner Announcements and the Week Ahead at ScatteredThoughts

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It’s the 13th already? How the time just flies by, it will be August before we know it and there is still so much I have to do. And that’s inside, outside and at my desk. Trying different things on the blog, so if you see bits appear and then disappear, you know I am tinkering, albeit in my Scatteredway.

❖And I have a question for you all. How important is it for you to have a review blog with one reviewer or multiple reviewers? When a review blog has more than one reviewer, do you remember the individual reviewers name or just the review? This inquiring mind wants to know….thanks.

I have several winner announcements to make. The winners of the following contests are (all have been notified):

Of Madeleine Ribbon’s “Faire Protector“Contest: the winner is JeanReads2
Of Mina MacLeod’s Swords,Sorcery and Sundry Contest: the winner is felinewyvern
Of B.A. Tortuga’s Wolf Run: the winner is JillP
Of Eden Winter’s Diversion Tour: the winner is Karen R.
Of Havan Fellows’ Hidden Needs Tour: the winner is Allison H.
Eric Thompson’s “Absolute” Book Tour & contest: the winner is Serena

More to come. Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you to everyone who left comments and participated. You rock my world! RJ Scott’s contest is still open so don’t forget to drop by and leave a comment to be entered into her terrific giveaway.

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I have been reading lots of new authors, to me at any rate. Rory Ni Coiliean, Lou Sylvre, and Charley Descoteaux in advance of some upcoming book tours and I can’t wait to share some of their stories with you. I am also reading the next in Kendall McKenna’s Strength of the Pack series, Strength the Mate, and its blowing me away. Look for my review this Saturday.

What can’t I share? Riptide has made me promise not to talk about Aleksandr Voinov’s final story in the Scorpion series, A Taste For Poison. But do I love this story? Yes. Do I love this character and series? Absolutely. Not a romance by any means but that’s fine. That term doesn’t work for a story as brutal at times as this has been. But it is so outstanding that I would more readers would find it and spread the word. I am also reading, viewing, whatever you do with a photograph non fiction book, a book of photographs taken of different drag queens called, appropriately dr.a.g. (bookthefilm edition). The pictures by various photographers are glorious as are the drag performers inside. I can’t wait to share my review of that with you as well.

But enough of what’s still in progress, here is the week I have planned for you all this week:

Monday, July 14:

On Tour with SE Jakes and her latest release Running Wild (contest)
Book Blast with SA McAuley and “Damaged Package” Tour and Contest

Tuesday, July 15:

T.A. Chase’s Mountains to Climb “What’s His Passion?” Imprint Book Tour/Contest
Audio Book Tour: Tara Lain’s The Pack or the Panther Tour/Contest
Review: Running Wild by SE Jakes

Wednesday, July 16:

On Tour with L.A. Witt and Noble Metals, a Steampunk Romance (contest)
Review: Noble Metals by L.A. Witt

Thursday, July 17:

In the Author Spotlight: Angel Martinez and her Endangered Fae series (contest)
Book Blast: Jennifer Cie’s Down On The Other Street Story Collection (contest)

Friday, July 18:

Diana DeRicci’s “Not Quite Broken” Book Blast and Contest
Does Size Matter? Find out with Sean Michael’s Size Matters Book Tour/Contest

Saturday, July 19:

Review: Strength of the Mate by Kendall McKenna

I want to leave you all with two summer cocktails to drink if you are watching the World Soccer Cup in Brazil or just hanging out. Whether your teams lost or in the finals, here are two drinks for you:

Sangria Flora

Created by St. Germain

1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc or Dry White Wine
1 cup St-Germain
2 Fresh Peaches
5-6 Fresh Strawberries
6 Fresh Raspberries
1 bunch Fresh Grapes

Stir ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Soak for approximately 15 minutes (or longer if desired). Serve in an ice-filled glass, then telephone your physician and regale him with stories of your exemplary fruit consumption. Serve with St-Germain spoon-straws to enjoy the fruit while drinking

MangoCarnivale SVEDKA Mango Carnivale
Created by SVEDKA

1 ½ oz. SVEDKA Mango Pineapple
½ oz. SVEDKA Vanilla
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup
8-10 Mint Leaves
3-4 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Combine mint leaves, simple syrup and fresh lime juice in a Collins glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle. Fill three quarters of the glass with more crushed ice and add SVEDKA Mango Pineapple and SVEDKA Vanilla-then swizzle again. Top with crushed ice and then float a layer of bitters on top. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Review: Wolf Run by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Lone wolf Mick Eagleheart is just passing through the small town of Arroyo Seco in New Mexico when an intriguing scent catches his interest. Following his nose, the scent trail leads him to a battered Airstream trailer out in the scrub lands and a young wolf shifter running the fence line that surrounds the place. At first Mick is outraged that someone should cage up a wolf pup so. But the story behind the pup and the sad trailer is anything but what Mick expected.

The young wolf’s name is Scotty Miller. And instead of being abused, he is being taken care of by his young mate, Daniel, to the best of young Daniel’s ability. Thrown out of their pack by their Alpha, the young mated pair is barely making it on the money Daniel makes washing dishes and cleaning up at the local diner. Starving, exhausted and working too many hours, Daniel no longer shifts at the full moon. Scotty is cute, spends most of his time in wolf form and is far too scattered to hold down a job. Two young wolves who need help and quick.

Mick is lonely and has been looking for a mate to settle down with. But after meeting Scotty and Daniel, Mick realizes not only that they need him badly but they might just be the mates he needs too. Two are better than one when you are a wolf, but three is better still…it’s a pack. Now only if he can convince Scotty and Daniel of that fact.

I am such a fan of B.A. Tortuga and this story is an excellent reason why. B.A. Tortuga takes the wolf shifter genre and puts her own quirky Tortuga spin on it with Wolf Run, her m/m/m wolfshifter story. One of the delights of a Tortuga tale is the dialog and behaviors of her characters. The dialog sparkles and dances, full of colloquialisms and regional sayings that not only give a character a geographical foundation but a cultural one as well. And the behaviors of her characters can be counted on to jump, bump, and sometimes grind, as full of sexuality, fun and vivacity as can be. In short, a B.A. Tortuga story is fun, sexy, a romp you won’t want to miss and those words are perfect to describe Wolf Run!

Tortuga’s wolf shifters maintain a lot of their animalistic behaviors and that’s an element I really appreciate. Like most canines, high on their priority list is food, sex, and companionship, in other words pack. Whether it is from association with her own Bassett hounds or research, this author is connected to her canines and it shows. The purposeful interest with which Mick approaches the fence as well as the cautious and respectful manner Scotty, in wolf form, greets Alpha wolf Mick bespeaks of canine greeting behavior with all its mannerisms intact. That element of bringing a realistic wolf conduct into the actions of the characters continues throughout the story. It’s never overdone but it’s a consistent part of their personas and lives and its gives this fun loving story an unexpected depth.

Some readers might shy away from a m/m/m storyline but it works beautifully here. Wolves are a pack animal and never have I read about two young wolf shifters in need of an older Alpha lover than Scotty and Daniel. Adding Mick Eagleheart to their relationship not only makes sense but its so sexy as well. Daniel has been trying to be an Alpha he’s not and he’s failing to meet not only Scotty’s needs but his own. It’s a poignant, loving, and desperate situation that Scotty and Daniel find themselves in when Mick happens along and enters their lives. Of the two young wolves, Daniel’s existence is the most precarious. But we don’t realize that fact immediately. B.A. Tortuga slowly leads us and Mick to that conclusion as their story reveals itself and more of their back history comes to light.

That’s another reason I love this author. Even if you have a story that comes with a “lighthearted, sexy, fun” label, the sadness and pain that life delivers up is only as far away as the next dirt road and bad paying job. B.A. Tortuga never forgets that. A hint of darkness, a dash of hurt, those exist within the parameters of a Tortuga storyline along with the fun and joy and exuberance to be found there.

One of the issues I see with B.A. Tortuga’s stories is that she makes what she accomplishes with them look so easy to do. The words, characters, and situations just flow off the page without a hint of the complex edifice beneath it. The realistic behaviors folded into a human reference? The dialog that snaps, sings, and yet remains individualistic? The settings and locales that breathe of desert air and the desperation of a poor economy? It’s all there, even if its impact is never fully noticed.

Part of my job as a reviewer is to take apart a story to see how it well it was written, if the characters, structure, and plot pull together for a joyous reading experience. I can say wholeheartedly that B.A. Tortuga has always delivered that for me and Wolf Run is another “home run” for this prolific author.

If you are new to B.A. Tortuga, well, you lucky person, you! There is a whole backlist to read your way through. If you love wolfshifters, this is a lovely place to start. Then work your way over to her cowboys and bull riders and such. If you are already a B.A. Tortuga fan, add this to be TBR pile. To all of you, happy reading!

This is how it starts (Wolf Run excerpt):

Mick liked to go for a wander. His wolf form was perfect for it, too. No need for a backpack or a water bottle. Sure, the occasional hunter or farmer tried to shoot him, but then he’d just flash into his feral wolf form and scare the bejeezus out of them.

That was pretty fun, too.

Today, he was on the outskirts of Taos, where he’d left his truck, in a wee town called Arroyo Seco. Dry gulch. How hilarious was that? He’d sniffed around and growled away a couple of big herding dogs, but now, something else caught his nose. A scent he knew but was unfamiliar at the same time.

The scent of someone like him. Not from his clan, but a wolf like him.

His head tilted, and he started moving closer, nose working hard. Sweet, sharp. Nummy. Definitely male, which was his preference. Young enough to intrigue him.

The scrub out here was sparse. Trailer homes were scattered like giant building blocks. There was an old Airstream trailer that sat back on its own, surrounded by a fence improvised out of scrub, wood and wire.

Inside, a young wolf ran from one end of the makeshift yard to the other, over and over.

Pretty. Gray. Tail like a plume. Nice.

Skinny though and a little desperate, running in circles to relieve stress. Poor baby. Who had him all penned up? The place was like a bad dog run. Only it was a wolf run, right?

Mick slowed, letting the pup see him, scent him, and the sweet skinny thing stopped and stared at him, tail drooping. Mick let his tail lift and wag. No sense not being friendly.

The pup came to the fence. Tail beginning to swipe back and forth, the youngster barked happily, greeting him.

Cover art by Kris Norris. Great sexy cover, wish I had a little more of the wolf here.

Buy Links: Resplendence Publishing ARe Amazon Wolf Run

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 118 pages
Published June 4th 2014 by Resplendence Publishing
ASINB00KRVSCAC
m/m/m wolf shifter story

Jackie Nacht’s ” Full Moon Torn” Book Blast (contest)

On tour today with us is Jackie Nacht with Full Moon Torn. Jackie has brought with her a contest of 2 ebooks of your choice (pdf format) and a $25 Amazon gift card. Don’t forget to visit the Rafflecopter links to enter. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Visit Here To Enter: Rafflecopter Prize: 2 PDF books of choice, $25 Amazon Gift Card

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Book Name: Full Moon Torn
Author Name: Jackie Nacht

Author Bio: Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights she stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter—yeah, right—Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

You can find Jackie on Facebook, Twitter and at her webpage:

Email : Jackie.nacht@yahoo.com
Website
eXtasy Author Page
Amazon Author Page

Cover Artist: Carmen Waters
Publisher: eXtasy Books

Blurb:

With war breaking out, these two must fight harder than ever to keep from letting the worldtear them and their love apart.
Knox has been at Moon Compound for over three years. His life forever changed when his mate was brought in, injured from the cruel captivity endured at the hands of hellhounds.

Now, torn between protecting Whitley and letting him help his pack, Knox loses the battle with his wolf and turns feral.
When Whitley is summoned back to Moon Compound, he finds his beloved mate locked in a cell to protect both himself and others at the compound. He knows what to do, but isn’t sure Knox will agree to the consequences.

Sales Link: eXtasy Books

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Excerpt:

Knox seethed in the common area as Oren came over and sat next to him. He loved that Oren and Daegal had finally gotten their shit together and were happy, but he couldn’t stand being in this room another minute.

“How are you doing?” Oren asked.

Across the room, Knox watched as that fucker Duke was giving the small Omega, Myles, shit. Myles was one of the smallest shifters there, only five foot six and sweet, too. Yeah, that was the right word for him. Sweet, because even during his shift, the noises he would make while in pain were these little, Ow. Ow. Ow, while everyone else was screaming their fucking heads off.

“I fucking hate this. Every month, it’s the same.” Knox gritted out.

Knox watched as Duke grabbed a hold of Myles.

Enough!

In an uncontrollable rage, Knox crossed the room. He was all over Duke, pounding into the Alpha, uncaring if he killed the asshole. He was thirsty to end this guy as his fists connected over and over with Duke’s face.

Shouts could be heard from a distance. Sloan, his best friend and Alpha, was there screaming at him, but he was lost. Lost to the anger, the smell of blood; he craved more.

Then, suddenly, Knox was pulled off. How dare they take him from his kill? A growl erupted deep within him and unleashed on those that interfered.
He was ready to go back at Duke when Malach came into his vision. The look of sorrow on his face had Knox baring his teeth. Malach pulled a syringe and struck him with it.

The world became fuzzy along the edges, and Knox suddenly had a little clarity. What the hell am I doing? That was his last thought before he fell into darkness.

Tour Dates: 7/7/14

Tour Stops: Velvet Panic, Redz World, Iyana Jenna, MM Good Book Reviews, SA McAuley, Kimi-Chan, Emotion in Motion, Night Owl Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Amanda C. Stone, Prism Book Alliance, Fallen Angel Reviews, Book Whores United, Love Bytes, Parker Williams, The Blogger Girls, Dawn’s Reading Nook, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake

Rafflecopter Prize: 2 PDF books of choice, $25 Amazon Gift Card

Rafflecopter Code:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Belligerent Beta (Pack Partners #2) by Poppy Dennison

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Beta Dan Keller always assumed he would take over the pack as Alpha if anything should happen to their leader. But when the dead Alpha’s son chooses a human to become Alpha and lead their pack, Dan wasn’t sure of his place in the pack or his position. With ex cop Lex Tompkins as Alpha and new pack members, there is a lot of adjusting to do by all. One of the youngest members is also one who is having the most problems. Nathan Ross, the Omega of the pack, has a troubled past that has not only made him a target to other wolves but left him unable to shift as well.

When Lex suggests to Dan that he needs to get more involved with pack members, become a true beta, Dan never anticipated that the one who needed him the most would be Nathan. But a broken down car and a offered ride gives Dan a chance to get to know Nathan and to his surprise he finds he likes the shy man hiding behind poor posture and long bangs. When trouble arrives in pack territory and local animals turn up dead, all clues points to Nathan as the culprit.

Will Nathan and Dan’s friendship and burgeoning romance be lost just as its getting started or will the belligerent beta find his true strength in time to protect a man he wants for his own?

This is such a cute series. Accidental Alpha, the first story, revolved around an ex cop Lex Tompkins who gets bitten by a neighbor’s toddler which turned him into a shifter and pack Alpha. The kid was/is adorable and the situation Lex found himself in was funny with a few serious elements attached. Belligerent Beta is a perfect title for Dan Keller who is still smarting at being passed over for Alpha and by a child no less. Dan is aloof, intimidating, and in a quandary over his role in the pack. The story picks up with the pack and Lex still adjusting to the new order and Lex’s new powers. Nathan, a young Omega wolf, in jeopardy in Accidental Alpha remains troubled here for an unknown yet hinted at reason.

Nathan’s character is a little shaky here. His history is one he only told to the last Alpha with hints of abuse or something equally horrific. He is naive or ignorant about shifter culture. And his inability to shift has caused him to withdraw even further into himself. I expected more from Nathan’s history than is revealed here. Either the reader still doesn’t have the whole story on Nathan or some of the implications were too overwrought, Either way I felt his character could have used some additional information or substance. Did that keep me from liking Nathan? Absolutely not. As someone in need of support and compassion, Nathan hits all the right buttons in order to connect with him. Who did I love? Well, that would be Dan. Big, gruff, isolated Dan. Dan is a character that you like the more he opens up and that happens as gradually as it can over 97 pages. And when Dan finally starts to get to know and get closer to Nathan its as cute as a puppy pile. That’s the best part of this story. It’s heartwarming and so sweet.

If you are looking for drama or angst here, you won’t find it. That element is almost completely missing from this story. Any hints of turmoil or large crisis such as we saw in the first story are just so much smoke or a quick reference to Lex’s continued adjustment to his new shifter status. This is a sweet, adorable romance.. The couple is endearing and they make a perfect pair. When you are finished, I think you will find you were happy you spent more time with this pack and their latest mate pairing. Poppy Dennison continues to flesh out her portrait of this pack and their members with each new story. I’m not sure who is next up in the series, but I can’t wait to find out.

Cover art by Wilde City Press. I would call that model a wonderful bear but this is about wolves after all.

Buy Links: Wilde City Press Amazon ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 97 pages
Published May 14th 2014 by Wilde City Press
original titleBelligerent Beta
ISBN139781925031008
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-romance/belligerent-beta/#.U2hU16JQ7sc
seriesPack Partners #2

Pack Partners Series:

Accidental Alpha (Pack Partners #1)
Belligerent Beta (Pack Partners #2)

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