Category: Shifters, Weres

An Alisa Review: Timtuk Canyon Ranch (Mojave Mountain Wolves #1) by A.J. Llewellyn

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

How do you join a mountain wolf pack when you’re afraid of heights?

When Smith Ryland develops a sudden, pathological fear of heights, he seeks professional help. A lifelong animal ecologist, he can no longer climb trees or trek through rainforests to follow the bird colonies he’s studied for eleven years. He takes a job looking after wild animals in the oddly named Timtuk Canyon Ranch, in the middle of California’s Mojave Desert. He’s astonished to find the ranch is in the mountains. How can he handle this unusual assignment? And what’s up with Jones, Just Jones, the mysterious, magnetic owner of the ranch?

Jones has secrets. Smith intrigues him because Jones is the caretaker of numerous animals most people don’t even know exist. Smith is comfortable with all the animals, including the ones that aren’t part of the…everyday world. Jones senses Smith needs the ranch as much as Timtuk needs him. Can Jones trust this newcomer? Something is changing, bringing with it…magic, but also the threat of lethal danger to Timtuk Canyon Ranch.

This story left me a bit confused.  Smith has been trying to get over his new fears and it seems to work out well after he accepts a new job.  Jones and Smith have an interesting connection that confuses Smith as Jones seems to appear and disappear at will.  Smith’s inner beast has been suppressed and being around Jones starts to bring it out along with some knowledge about his family.

There were so many things that didn’t add up during this story or were not explained, I had a little trouble figuring out what was going on.  I’m hoping that as this series continues I’ll start to understand more of what is happening.

The cover art by Martine Jardin is nice and I like the visuals of the characters.

Sales Links: eXtasy Books | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 112 pages

Published: February 23, 2018 by eXtasy Books

Edition Language: English

Series: Mojave Mountain Wolves #1

Release Day Blitz for – Blood Bathory: Like The Night (The Guardians of Gaia #1) by Ari McKay

 

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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.

 

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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RELEASE BLITZ for Omega Shadow (Pine Creek Lake #3) by Quinn Michaels (excerpt)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Omega Shadow (Pine Creek Lake #3)

Author: Quinn Michaels

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Quinn Michaels

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

Length: 43,600 words

It is the third story in the series but stands alone.

Buy Links:

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07BWMZXT9/

Blurb

One is accused. One is betrayed. One is a killer.

Midwife-apprentice, Kyle’s sheltered world is shattered when a patient’s alpha mate flies into a murderous rage and attacks him. Kyle is rescued by a handsome alpha visitor, but as attraction blazes between the two men, and they fall into each other’s dreams, what starts as lust becomes something impossible. Kyle is a beta. He can’t be an alpha’s true mate. And yet, what else explains their connection?

Visiting Pine Creek Lake alpha, Shadow isn’t looking for his true mate when he stumbles across a beta being attacked in the middle of the night. But when a simple rescue reveals a chain of possible murders, Shadow must learn the truth about the man in his dreams before it’s too late. Something is driving alphas in the Blackcreek pack to rage and die young. Is Kyle as ignorant as he pretends, or is he hiding a dangerous secret?

As Kyle and Shadow work together to discover the truth, both men are forced to question their deepest assumptions about themselves and each other. Are they fated mates? Is Kyle living a lie? And when the killer is revealed, will Kyle have the courage to face the truth before Shadow suffers the same death as the others?

Find out in Omega Shadow, Book 3 of the Pine Creek Lake Den series, an action-packed Mpreg romance mystery with a happily ever after to melt your heart.

Fast paced. Sexy. No Cliffhanger.

If you love Mpreg Omega werewolf romance with life-or-death action, knotting, babies, and hawtness, start reading Omega Shadow, Book 3 of the Pine Creek Lake Den series, today!

Buy Link 

Goodreads  

Excerpt from Chapter 1

Kyle and Ron hugged, and awkward sideways embrace taking into account Ron’s pregnant belly. Though Kyle was a beta, he was only a couple of inches taller than Ron, and no matter how hard Kyle worked out he never really managed to bulk up. It was frustrating, just one more way that Kyle didn’t quite fit in.

As always when Kyle made house calls, with or without Artie, he carried a leather satchel with the basic emergency supplies: clean bandages, sterilizing wipes, blood sugar equipment, clamps, suture, and medicines.

Kyle slung the bag back over his shoulder and with a final goodbye to his pregnant patient, headed down the hallway and outside. It was a cold night, and clear, the sky above a velvet tapestry with pinprick stars broken only by the sliver of the crescent moon. At almost midnight, the chill spring air put a layer of frost on the ground. It crunched beneath Kyle’s boots as he walked towards the main path that ran through the center of the Blackcreek settlement.

“You!”

Kyle whirled towards the voice, clutching the handle of his bag. Chaz stepped off of the main path and stalked towards Kyle, weaving a little like he was drunk. But as he got closer, Kyle didn’t smell booze on him.

“Are you okay, Chaz?” Kyle asked. Chaz a little over thirty-years-old with thinning hair and a paunch. He was big, even for an alpha, and though he tended towards fat, it was draped over a thick slab of muscle.

Chaz shouted, “What were you doing with my mate? Fucking him?”

“I was checking on the twins. Your babies.”

“Likely story.”

Kyle took a step back. Chaz was between him and the main path, but Kyle could run for the space between the two houses at his right. Still, it would be better to talk his way out. The last thing he wanted was to send this furious alpha to Ron like this. “Ron’s having those pains again. He spoke with Artie. It’s Kyle, remember, Artie’s grandson?” Even if Chaz didn’t smell like booze, he had taken something. His hands were shaking, and in the faint moonlight, a faint sheen of sweat glimmered on his forehead.

“Artie’s a bitch. She keeps giving Ron ideas.”

Ron needed ideas, and a shotgun to enforce them if Kyle had anything to say about it, but an argument wouldn’t do either of them any good right now. Kyle was grateful to be a beta. Omegas had it a lot harder. Artie reminded him of this almost every day. Kyle held his hands open in front of him. Luckily he was small. Nonthreatening. “The twins are looking very good. And Ron is doing well. He was worried they might be coming early, but when I palpated – –.”

“You had your hands on him.” Chaz bared his teeth.

Something was wrong. Chaz was usually a dick, but his irrational anger at Kyle for performing a basic examination was over-the-top. He closed the distance between them while Kyle was trying to explain, and like a striking snake, Chaz grabbed at Kyle’s throat.

Kyle jumped back.

Chaz’s beefy hand was shifting, the tips of his fingers tapering into claws. He swayed on his feet.” The twins. My twins.” His forearms sprouted fur in odd patches. “The twins are mine. Ron is mine. Mine!”

“Of course, they’re yours. Maybe we should sit down on the steps for a while. Did one of the other alphas… Give you something?”

“If you’re not fucking him, then you need to fuck off.”

Kyle wanted to run, but with how Chaz was acting, he didn’t trust the alpha alone with his mate. “How about I come in with you?” Kyle suggested. “I can make up a tea. It’ll cool you off.” With the amount of sweating that Chaz was doing, he had to be hot. Maybe he had gotten in to some of the human opioids in town. Usually they didn’t affect shifters like this though. Leave it to Chaz to be the exception.

Chaz scratched his cheek, and the tip of his claw dug in, drawing blood. “Ow!” He let out a string of curses.

“It’s your hand. I think there might be something going on with your shifting,” Kyle said as calmly as he could. Like he was talking to a child. He got along well with children and babies. Unfortunately, the tone of voice didn’t work as well on tripping werewolves. Chaz, with another burst of inhuman speed, grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and squeezed. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” Kyle’s voice shook with something between fear and rage. How did Ron stand this? Chaz and Ron had been arranged to mate eight months ago, well before Jeff had died and Devon, his son, had left to avenge him and returned not with the eyeteeth of his enemy but with a mate from the other pack.

Now Devon wanted to change how things were done in Blackcreek, and seeing Chaz now, Kyle’s support for this new way of doing things only grew.

Chaz towered over Kyle. His jaw elongated, and when he growled, it was a wolf growl.

Kyle planted his feet and with bent knees shoved the midwife bag into Chaz stomach with all of his strength. It wasn’t enough. Chaz growled again, and his clawed hands pierced the thick leather of Kyle’s jacket to push through his shirt and into his skin.

“Hey!” Someone shouted from behind him.

Kyle didn’t recognize the voice, but the distraction was enough to loosen Chaz’s grip.

“Get help,” Kyle shouted. Chaz’s face and body was shifting back and forth between human and wolf. Kyle had never seen anything like this. “Get Dr. Havisham!”

Chaz lifted Kyle like he weighed nothing.

“Put him down,” the stranger said. His voice was closer, though Kyle hadn’t heard him move.

“Pine Creek Lake,” Chaz said, and spat. The glob of spittle barely missed Kyle’s cheek as it passed over his shoulder.

Pine Creek Lake? It must have been one of the visitors. Kyle had only seen them from afar, having been pushed to the back of the crowd when Devon had returned with his mate. The visitors were focused on alpha and omega relations. Kyle, as a beta, hadn’t had much reason to concern himself with them, and though he’d been curious, he’d been too busy with his own duties to go out of his way to talk to them.

What was this werewolf Pine Creek Lake werewolf doing here in the middle of the night?

“Please, put me down,” Kyle said to Chaz.

“Fine,” Chaz said, and threw him, hard, at the wall of the neighboring cabin. The only saving grace was that whatever Chaz taken, it affected his balance. He stumbled, and Kyle landed short, skidding across the hard dirt.

Kyle lay on the ground trying to catch his breath. His arm hurt, but he could wiggle his fingers so it wasn’t broken. The stranger, a tall, wide shouldered man with hair like ink tied at the base of his neck, dark clothes, and dusky skin, moved quickly and silently to place himself between Chaz and Kyle.

The stranger was unmistakably an alpha, though he was leaner than Chaz. Kyle knew he should get up and run to get help, but even as he regained his breath, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the stranger. The alpha. His scent, a mix of damp pine needles and sweat, filled Kyle’s nose.

Bizarrely, Kyle felt aroused. Maybe Chaz hadn’t taken something. Maybe there was some kind of pollen or poison in the air?  Kyle’s skin flushed. It was like one of the hot flashes that Artie had suffered with when Kyle was a child. Beta women and omegas got them to when they reached the end of their fertile years. Maybe Kyle was having an allergic reaction? Whatever was going on, it was getting worse. Sweat trickled slick between Kyle’s ass cheeks, his cock hardened, and he had the strangest urge to rub himself against the new alpha and mark ownership.

Chaz lashed out again, his arm a blur as he swung, claws bared, at the stranger. Chaz shouted an incoherent mix of curses and growls. The stranger ducked, his movement so efficient it didn’t seem so much like speed and more a casual lowering of his head, and then with another precise and powerful burst, he slammed his fist into Chaz’s chest.

Chaz dropped like a stone.

Kyle expected Chaz to try and get back up on his feet, but he was still. Kyle couldn’t even see him breathing. The stranger knelt beside Chaz’s body and after a few seconds, pressed his fingers to the pulse point on Chaz’s neck.

Kyle got himself to his feet, and straightening out the strap on his bag, walked hesitantly towards his rescuer.

“Are you okay?” Kyle asked. His mouth felt dry, and a sudden urge to touch the alpha washed over him.

The stranger looked up. His eyes were a perfect shade of amber. As they met Kyle’s gaze, the alphas pupils expanded and Kyle smelled desire. Then he blinked, and quickly turned his head back towards Chaz.

“Do you know CPR?”

“Why?” Kyle squinted down at Chaz. He wasn’t moving.

“I don’t think he’s breathing.”

He wasn’t.

“What’s going on?” Ron waddled out onto the porch. “Is that – – Chaz!”

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 sexy times!

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

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Release Blitz – Rended Hearts by Riza Curtis (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Universal Buy Links
 
Length: 35,000 words approx.
 
Blurb
 

After a life on the run, witch Gabriel just wants to enjoy having a home. He’s perfectly happy pottering around his garden and using magic to quietly help people. Then the Alpha of the local wolf pack is attacked by a member of the local coven, and everything changes. There’s no love lost between the witch and the wolves, but Gabriel saves the life of the Alpha in an attempt to keep the peace.


Simon finds his mate in the witch that saves his life, but the coven is coming for Gabriel, and they don’t care who gets in their way…

Excerpt



“That’s better.” Simon couldn’t help his own smile after seeing Gabriel’s joy. His face was flushed pink from laughing, and he looked radiant in the soft light of the clinic.


“What is?”


Simon took a chance and moved closer. Gabriel’s eyes widened as he startled, but he didn’t seem alarmed. “Seeing you smile.”


Gabriel flushed a deeper red, a hint of confusion displayed on his face.


Simon took another step closer so that he was face-to-face with a flustered Gabriel. He brought his hand up to gently touch the side of the Gabriel’s face. His skin was softer than Simon had thought possible.


“Are you—” Gabriel broke off the sentence and moved back. Simon dropped his hand immediately. He didn’t want to make Gabriel uncomfortable.


Gabriel glanced at Simon and took a hesitant breath. Simon tried to look reassuring.


“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but you’re flirting with me? Why?”


Simon chuckled. Gabriel was adorable. “Because I like you.”


Gabriel frowned before glancing away. He didn’t seem satisfied with the answer.


“But wolves have mates,” he interjected.


Simon’s eyes widened momentarily. He hadn’t thought Gabriel would know about mates, but maybe this would be a good thing—maybe Gabriel would be more receptive, more understanding about the situation.


“Why do you think I am flirting with you?” Simon asked, dropping his voice to no louder than a whisper, soft and alluring.


Gabriel inhaled sharply, and his eyes widened. “Surely not?”


Simon didn’t know if that was positive or negative, but he couldn’t take it back now. He nodded, moving closer and crowding Gabriel against the wall.


“Don’t you feel it too?” he asked. “My mate?”

 
Author Bio
 

Riza began writing stories at a young age to the a?n?n?o?y?a?n?c?e? delight of anyone she could b?u?l?l?y? persuade to read them. Now somewhat older, if not wiser, things haven’t really changed.


Riza lives in England where they enjoy adding extra letters to words, tea, and discussing the weather (it’s always raining). She has a FdSci in Manufacturing Engineering and is currently working towards her BEng. When she’s not writing, studying or doing her day job, Riza is obsessed with target archery and enjoys shooting barebow.

 

www.rizacurtis.com
Twitter: @rizacurtis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riza.curtis.author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/rizacurtis

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