Category: Shifters, Weres

A MelanieM Review: Kelpie Blue (Out of Underhill #1) by Mell Eight

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Mama always said, don’t go near the lake. Rin already knew the forest was filled with dark things, but aside from Mama no one had warned him about the lake. One day, Rin wanders off to the lake, where a beautiful blue horse asks him to go for a swim, and Rin learns too late it may not be a swim he survives.

I have to admit it took me a little while to connect with a character who referred to his lover as his “snack” and thought about eating him or his bone marrow.  I was dubious until about halfway through that this would have a HEA and that the old adage about creatures staying true to their nature might prove out here.  You never know….

But Kelpie Blue (Out of Underhill #1) by Mell Eight kept taking one interesting turn after another, and eventually I even enjoyed the peculiar mindset of a Kelpie (thoughts of eating humans included).

I loved the way  Mell Eight weaves the Fae and human worlds together here, connecting them through a matter of fact woman running a stables at the edge of a special forest and lake, and her son Rin.  That lake and forest are just any plain forests but the entranceway and habitat of the fae as Rin soon finds out.

Side by side with the fae story element is an ongoing one that shows Mama, who raises and races horses, having major troubles with another horse breeder.  I thought this was a terrific idea.  Just when the whole Rin/Blue aspect of the storyline gets a little overwhelming with their  diary dialog  (they write back and forth in Rin’s diary) and relationship then we cut away to Mama’s gritty real life issues and the fight to save the farm and their livelihood.

Two thirds into the story, the drama has increased, the suspense and mystery has been raised, and I was just as interested in Mama’s story as I was in Rin’s.  Plus there is this whole other guy called Jim who runs Overhill Stables….

Anyhow, by the time the book ends (it ends way too soon), you still have some questions.  Ok, a lot of questions.  Blue is still a young Kelpie and Rin is, well, a young Rin.  Both have a lot of growing to do.  I expect Fae politics to start intruding one more into their lives so I can’t wait for the next book to appear.

By the way?  Kudos to Mell Eight for keeping Blue as completely non-human and Kelpie as possible.  It takes time to relate to him precisely because the author did her job so well.  I can’t wait to see what happens as he grows, trepidations notwithstanding.  Snack indeed.

Cover art: Michelle Seaver.  Beautiful cover and works so well for the story.

Sales Links:  Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published March 21st 2018 by Less Than Three Press
Original TitleKelpie Blue
ISBN139781684311989
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesOut of Underhill #1

99c Book Blast – Omega Sacrifice (Pine Creek Lake #2) by Quinn Michaels (excerpt)

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Omega Sacrifice (Pine Creek Lake #2)

Author: Quinn Michaels

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Quinn Michaels

Genre/s:  M/M Mpreg Romance, Mystery & Adventure

Length: 110 print pages

Blurb

Will he sacrifice his true mate for revenge?

An alpha of the Pine Creek Lake pack killed Devon’s father. But when Devon discovers his true mate amongst his enemies, will a forbidden love force Devon to choose between his pack and his heart?

Seeing the love of his life choose another, Zeke faces a bleak future as an omega with no hope of a mate. But when he stumbles into the arms of a strange and handsome alpha, is this a second chance for a happy ending? Or will he be cast aside…again?

Star-crossed mates must make the ultimate sacrifice to save each other.

Omega Sacrifice is a fast-paced, satisfying mpreg omega werewolf romance that will leave you hot and bothered with a happily ever after to melt your heart.

Short. Sweet. Steamy. No Cliffhanger.

If you love Mpreg Omega werewolf romance with knotting, true mates, and hawtness, start reading Omega Sacrifice, Book 2 of the Pine Creek Lake pack series, today!

Buy Links – Available on KU and Special 99c Offer

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Excerpt

Devon froze. In his wolf sight, the omega male was a monochrome figure in gray, brown, and tan. He had a round face and light hair, escaping in scraggly curls that were tied at the nape of his neck in an elastic band. If Devon had been human, his mind might have drifted to poetry. The soft roundness of his figure was hinted at tantalizingly beneath a thin rain jacket and sodden yoga pants. His lips were full, his nose upturned endearingly at the tip.

The omega smelled like the sweetness of fresh kill, and Devon wanted to lick him. To taste him.

Stupid with desire, Devon whimpered.

This was bad. A deep, instinctual part of him recognized that the omega in front of him was his true mate.

The omega froze in place. “Who’s there?” He wiped the sleeve of his jacket over his face and blinked. Squinting into the darkness. “Hello? Who’s there?”

Devon held his breath. This omega was his true mate, and instinct demanded that Devon make his claim. But he had a job to do. If he revealed himself, he would put his entire pack in danger.

The omega sniffed the air. Between the rain and his weaker human senses, he should not have been able to smell Devon. But he tensed, and Devon recognized both fear and curiosity as the omega turned toward him. “You’re an alpha. I don’t know you.” The growing panic was evident in his tone. He would shout for help soon. Devon was surprised he hadn’t shouted yet. Maybe there was some way to salvage this. Devon shifted, and then hands raised, he stood.

Cold rain streamed down his body. Though Devon knew he lacked the essential viciousness that made an alpha truly strong, none of that was reflected in his body. A surge of pride washed over him as the omega’s lips parted, and his eyes grew wide, and Devon smelled his desire.

“I’m Devon.”

“Ezekiel. Zeke. Your, um…” Zeke ran his tongue between his lips, and imagining that tongue in those lips on him made Devon’s cock swell.

Devon kicked himself. He should have stayed hidden. He should have killed Zeke before the omega had seen him. But Zeke was his true mate, and even if he hadn’t been, Devon didn’t have it in him to kill an innocent omega in cold blood. He wasn’t his father. He wasn’t his grandfather. Which meant Devon would have to take Zeke with him, at least until all of this was over.

Zeke was his true mate, and there was no way he was going to let the omega come to harm.

But first, he had to make Zeke comfortable enough to trust him.

“I have some clothes in this backpack,” Devon said, shrugging his shoulders. “Do you mind if—?”

“Yeah! You should do that!” Zeke swallowed. “Not that I mind looking at you. I mean, you’re really hot and—” He shook his head, and judging by the tint of embarrassment in his scent, Devon guessed that Zeke had flushed as well.

It was perfect. And terrifying.

About the author 

Pennsylvania native, Quinn Michaels is a fan of fantasy, werewolves and M/M mpreg romance! She strives to write  action-packed adventures of romance, self-discovery and second chances, all served up with a hefty helping of sweet, sexy Omegas and hot, determined Alphas who will do anything to cherish, love, and protect their mates. She also enjoys the sexytimes!

Sign up for Quinn’s mailing list and get updates at http://quinnmichaelsauthor.com

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Book Blast – Omega Required by Dessa Lux (excerpt)

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Omega Required

Author: Dessa Lux

Publisher: Self Published

Cover Artist: Morgan Wilcox

Genre/s: M/M Paranormal/Werewolf Romance (no mpreg onscreen)

Length: 136,000 words/430 pages

Release Date: April 4, 2018

Blurb

An alpha werewolf chasing his dream meets an omega fighting for his life in a strictly temporary marriage of convenience…

Alpha werewolf Beau Jeffries has been going it alone ever since he was cast out of his pack as a teenager for trying to help a human and endangering the pack’s secrets during the tumultuous years when the wider world was learning the truth about werewolves. He hasn’t lost his drive to help others, and he’s about to begin a prestigious medical residency–only to learn that, as the first werewolf the program has knowingly accepted, he’ll have to follow special rules, including the one that requires him to be married when he begins his residency.

Omega werewolf Roland Lea is just trying to survive. After escaping the last and worst in a string of abusive relationships that left him scarred and unable to conceive, he’s found safety in a refuge for homeless omegas. But despite the help he’s getting at the refuge, he just keeps getting sicker instead of better, further and further from being able to make it on his own. When he’s offered the opportunity to sign up with a mate-matching agency, he figures he has nothing to lose. No alpha is ever going to want an omega like him.

When Beau sees Roland’s profile, he knows at once what’s making the omega sick, and he’s determined to help. If he can persuade Roland to marry him, he can save Roland’s life while Roland helps him get through his residency. But will their hasty partnership be enough to bring them both through what’s ahead–and can temporary necessity lead to a forever love?

Excerpt

He did sleep a little, or at least his thoughts drifted into quiet blankness for a while. He came back to himself when the car’s front doors closed, leaving only him and Beau inside. Roland opened his eyes to find Beau’s face closer than he expected.

Close enough to kiss.

His breath caught, and he felt that dangerous little thrill of anticipation, when he should have known better, should have been far past wanting anything like that ever again.

Beau just smiled. “Ready for our wedding day?”

Roland looked toward the window, and beyond it, the uninformative front of the refuge. “They didn’t… plan something, did they? It’s not gonna be, like…”

A tumble of images played through his head, mostly human weddings he’d seen on TV and in movies, elaborate and protracted events that always involved someone being terribly humiliated or disappointed or otherwise reduced to tears.

“I think they know you well enough to know you won’t want anything huge and exhausting,” Beau said quietly. “I suspect there’s going to be cake, though. You think you might be able to eat a little cake?”

Roland bit his lip, and his stomach squirmed uneasily. “Do you have any more of those ginger candies?”

Beau smiled and brought one out of his pocket, unwrapping it before holding the candy to Roland’s lips. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth for it, and the first sharp bite of the ginger made his mouth water alarmingly and his eyes sting. Beau stayed steady at his side, keeping one arm around him all the time, and after another moment Roland said, “I guess we have to get out of the car eventually.”

“Not really where I’d pictured us living for the next few years,” Beau agreed, but he didn’t make any move to get Roland out of the car until Roland picked his head up and twisted toward the door.

When they got inside there was cake, and Susan and Ms. Dawson and Dr. Hanek who ran the refuge and was, as it turned out, both a registered officiant for weddings and a notary public. He had Beau and Roland sign the pre-nup first, getting it notarized and witnessed across several copies.

Which meant Roland had to write his name when he couldn’t read it.

“It’s okay, take your time,” Beau murmured, and laid his finger down on the page. “Right along there. Right above my finger. When you’re ready.”

Roland took a few breaths, trying to make his fingers fit comfortably around the pen, to remember the motions of signing his name. He couldn’t remember when he’d ever done it that meant anything, but it couldn’t be that hard. He’d learned cursive in school. He knew how to write his own name, and that was all it was, really. His own name, in cursive, saying that he agreed to be married to Beau with all these conditions.

He squinted at it when he was done; it looked a little crooked and wobbly, but that seemed to be his name. Roland Lea. He’d done it.

And then he had to do it three more times.

“I’ll put one of these on file here,” Dr. Hanek explained, “and send one to the state Omega Rights Initiative. They hold a lot of these types of documents, just to be on the safe side.”

“Of course,” Beau said easily. “And Roland will have his own copy to keep as well.”

One was duly put into an envelope for him, and Roland held it, along with his birth certificate, while they did the rest of the wedding formalities. It was all so calm and matter of fact, just sitting on a loveseat beside Beau in one of the refuge sitting rooms, with Susan and Ms. Dawson and Dr. Hanek gathered around on other chairs. Roland barely realized the questions he was answering were his wedding vows, even when he automatically responded, “I do.”

But then there was a tiny round of applause, and Roland turned to meet Beau’s eyes.

Beau raised his eyebrows, asking some silent question, and Roland nodded a little, and then—oh, oh—Beau dipped his head and touched his lips to Roland’s, soft and chaste. A kiss. Their first kiss.

They were married.

There was another paper to sign for that, but Beau let Roland sign along his finger again, and his hand didn’t shake any worse than the first four times.

“Excellent. We’ll put the appropriate date on this and send it in tomorrow to be filed, but you are now officially married. Congratulations, both of you.”

“Thanks,” Roland murmured, and then looked up at Beau, who squeezed him a little closer.

“We’ll eat some cake first,” Beau said. “Then we’ll figure out everything else.”

 

Buy Links – Available on KU

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Amazon UK  

Goodreads  

About the Author

Dessa Lux is a librarian living in the Midwest, running on Diet Coke and Adderall. She’s a geek who loves reading and writing romance, including the fanfic kind, and you can tell her apart from the others of her kind because she does not own a cat.

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A MelanieM Review: Like the Night (Blood Bathory #1) by Ari McKay

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Evan St. John, a young fashion photographer running from the pain caused by the death of his younger sister, is thrilled when he is offered a job with House of Nadasdy, a leading fashion house in Paris. What he doesn’t know is that Elizabeth Nadasdy, the elegant and powerful owner, is a centuries-old vampire with a penchant for collecting beautiful people. To Evan’s horror, he is turned into one of her “children.” Unable to bear what he has become, Evan flees to New York and to his best friend, police officer Will Trask. For years, Evan has nursed an unrequited love for Will, but he also knows Will is the one person who might be able to help him. As Evan and Will try to deal with Evan’s condition, they are drawn into the world of the theriomorphs: shape-shifters who are guardians of life and the sworn enemies of vampires. Caught in an ancient war between two powerful supernatural forces, Evan and Will find they must choose sides — because if they are to have any chance of a future together, they must destroy Elizabeth Nadasdy before she destroys them.

Like the Night by Ari McKay is the first in the new Blood Bathory series the authors are creating.  And what a series it looks to be.  Starting out with the historic Elizabeth Bathory herself as the sublimely evil ancient vampire at the core of all misery here, McKay builds the universe out to include an ongoing war with Gaia herself and her soldiers, the theriomorphs against the vampires who would rule.  Caught in the middle are Evan St. John, a vampire turned against his will, and Will, a human police officer and Evan’s best friend who is about to find out that the world is much stranger than he ever believed.

The author gives us multiple points of view which works here to let us know how many people actually have their own agendas in this battle for conquest.  Hint, it’s not just the main characters.  So many manipulations going on here, so many secondary threads that will, of course, become major ones later on.

The romance between Evan and Will is one that needs major communication to move forward as well as some false (and hilarious) assumptions to be swept aside.  I liked the heat between them and they worked great as a couple.  One caveat is that Evan comes across as too much of the “weak pretty boy” here for someone who is a vampire.  He has one scene where he shows his vampire strength and the  rest of the time I feel that’s wasted making the theriomorphs look badass to his detriment.  Why not both?  Not using a vampire’s assets throws away a valuable weapon imo here.

Back to the theriomorphs and Gaia.  I absolutely love this element.  I hope its explored even more closely in the upcoming stories as the battle continues.

There are many great secondary characters, on both sides mind you.  I can’t wait to see what the next installment will bring.

If you love the supernatural, romance, vampires and shapeshifters, you can’t go wrong with Like the Night (Blood Bathory #1) by Ari McKay.  I highly recommend it for the great world building, wonderful characters, and a plot that grabs a hold of you right until the end.

Cover art: Lou Harper.  I like the cover but it’s not terribly representative of the characters, Evan is blond.

Sales Links: Universal Buy Link

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 2 edition, 352 pages
Published April 9th 2018 by Independent (first published July 2nd 2013)
Original TitleBlood Bathory: Like the Night
ASINB07BFMZ8L9
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBlood Bathory #1

REVIEW TOUR – Like the Night (Blood Bathory #1) by Ari McKay (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Universal Buy Link
 
Cover Design: Lou Harper
 
Length: 123,737 words
 
Blurb
 

Evan St. John, a young fashion photographer running from the pain caused by the death of his younger sister, is thrilled when he is offered a job with House of Nadasdy, a leading fashion house in Paris. What he doesn’t know is that Elizabeth Nadasdy, the elegant and powerful owner, is a centuries-old vampire with a penchant for collecting beautiful people. To Evan’s horror, he is turned into one of her “children.”


Unable to bear what he has become, Evan flees to New York and to his best friend, police officer Will Trask. For years, Evan has nursed an unrequited love for Will, but he also knows Will is the one person who might be able to help him. As Evan and Will try to deal with Evan’s condition, they are drawn into the world of the theriomorphs: shape-shifters who are guardians of life and the sworn enemies of vampires. Caught in an ancient war between two powerful supernatural forces, Evan and Will find they must choose sides – because if they are to have any chance of a future together, they must destroy Elizabeth Nadasdy before she destroys them.

 

April 9 – MM Midnight Cafe
April 10 – Love Bytes
April 12 – Alpha Book Club
April 14 – MM Good Book Reviews
April 16 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews
April 17 – The Novel Approach
April 18 – RAM PA Group, Drops Of Ink, Mirrigold, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Love Bites & Silk Ties
April 19 – Diverse Reader

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review here.

Excerpt
 

Will had always been protective of those he cared about, and Evan was no exception, especially since Evan’s attractive face, slender build and “out and proud” attitude had occasionally made him a target on campus. It had been that way since their freshman year, and it was no different now. It was ridiculous, perhaps, and no doubt part of that White Knight thing Evan had always teased him about, but Will couldn’t help it; it was just the way he was.


“You might as well ‘fess up now, because I’m going to get the story out of you one way or another. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you if I can do anything about it. We stick together, right?” Will’s tone grew serious. “I mean it, Evan. You know you can count on me. You’re my best friend.” It was still true, even though they hadn’t been face-to-face in years. No one had ever taken Evan’s place in his life; no one ever could.


“Even if I tell you I’ve been working for a vampire?” Evan asked softly. “I don’t mean that figuratively, either. I mean literally. She’s a monster. She’s killed her own models. She turns people into monsters like her.”


For a long moment, Will couldn’t do anything but stare at his friend, wondering if this was a joke and he was somehow missing the punch line. Evan’s blue eyes were haunted but guileless; the man was a lousy liar, at least when it came to Will, and there was too much pain in Evan’s gaze for it to be some elaborate trick. Whatever was really going on, Evan, at least, believed what he was saying, and that was the most horrifying part of it. Whatever had happened to Evan in the last few months had damaged him in a way that Will was afraid he wasn’t going to be able to fix.


It was painful to face the fact that his best friend had apparently suffered some sort of mental breakdown, and Will cursed himself for not having tried harder to get in contact when Evan’s communications had grown infrequent. Obviously Evan had been going through something terrible, and Will knew that he had to do whatever he could to get Evan the help he needed. Which meant making sure that Evan remained here for now, until Will could figure out how to get him to a doctor.


“Let me make sure I understand what you’re saying,” he replied, keeping his voice quiet and reassuring. “Elizabeth Nadasdy, the famous fashion designer, is a vampire who kills people. That makes sense, I suppose. Or at least it explains why the models all look as though they weigh five pounds.” His attempt at humor sounded hollow, but it was the best he could do at the moment. “And she’s after you?”


Evan leaned back away from Will. “You don’t believe me. You think I’m crazy.”


Will hated to see that look on Evan’s face, the question of sanity aside. “Evan, it’s not that I don’t want to believe you, all right? But you know how it sounds, don’t you?” He knew his tone was pleading. “Vampires don’t exist. I can tell you believe it, though, and that makes it hard, because I know you’d never lie to me. But how can I believe it? How can you believe it?” He reached out and touched Evan’s arm in mute appeal. “How?”


Evan met Will’s gaze, his expression steady and calm, no trace of madness lurking in his gaze. “I don’t just believe it. I know it. I know it because I’m one, too.”

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.


Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.


McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.


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