Category: Shifters, Weres

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Wolf and the Holly (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #2) by Sam Burns

 

Universal Buy Link: books2read.com/WolfAndTheHolly
 
Length: 199 pages
 

Cover Design: Melanie Harlow @ Clause & Effect

 
The Rowan Harbor Cycle Series
 
Book #1 – Blackbird In The Reeds – books2read.com/BlackbirdInTheReeds
 
Blurb
 

Five years ago, Jesse dropped out of college and came home to Rowan Harbor to find safety with his pack. A broken man, he’s been living as though the world is ending—allergic to responsibility and spending most of his nights at the local bar.

But he can’t avoid growing up forever. On the night of his thirtieth birthday party, he finds his childhood friend Isla unconscious, attacked in the middle of their peaceful hometown. The wolf inside him wants to protect its people from the slick-haired, smooth-talking vampire who’s brought trouble to town, and Jesse can’t run from his instincts any longer.

Now that his inner wolf is out of its cage, it’s picked the most inconvenient moment to find its mate. Sean Anderson—recently back from college and much changed from the skinny preteen Jesse once knew—is just what he never knew he needed.

Trigger Warning: discussion of past abuse.

This novel is intended for adult audiences, and contains swearing and sex.

This is the second of nine books in The Rowan Harbor Cycle, not a standalone. It continues where the first book left off. Jesse and Sean will return in book five to continue their story, so this book contains a HFN, not their HEA.

Author Bio

Sam wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.

If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.

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An Alisa Review: Camp Lake Omega by Penelope Peters

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Jim Smith isn’t your average omega.

 

My first alpha died after we’d been bonded for a week – since then, I’ve been living a quiet life sequestered in my parents’ house. Now I’ve got one last summer of freedom working as a camp counselor at Camp Lake Omega before they force me to settle down and find a mate. I’m going to wring every drop of fun from this summer that I can, no matter how bad of an idea he – I mean, it is!

 

Zachary Ito isn’t your average alpha.

 

I watched my father screw up one relationship after another. No way am I going to let myself fall under the influence of omega pheromones like he did. I’ve devoted my life to running Camp Alpha-by-the-Lake, hoping to teach young alphas how to respect and protect omegas instead of seeking to control and overpower them. There’s no room for fun in my life, no matter how intriguing he – I mean, it is!

 

But one chance encounter at the beginning of the summer…

 

…And neither Zachary nor Jim can get the other out of their heads – or out of their beds! When Jim’s biology puts not only himself but another counselor in danger – will Zachary be there to help him to safety?

 

I am a sucker for Alpha/Omega stories of all different genres and I really enjoyed this one.  Jim has pretty much been left in limbo because his first alpha dies and not one really knows what to do with him.  Zachary is determined to not get attached to any omega because he doesn’t want to feel like a slave to his hormones.

 

I love that Zachary becomes attracted to Jim before he realizes he is an omega due to some strange omega scent stuff but that he is still willing to see Jim when he finds out if quite telling as to how he is feeling.  When Jim goes into heat Zachary has to decide what it is he really wants to be happy.  We see both of these characters’ points of view which gives great insights to their thoughts and feelings.  I got frustrated with Zachary when he makes assumptions and hurts Jim and even worse sends him running to hide.  I loved seeing that they were able to build a solid relationship that lasts years later with their adorable family.

 

The cover art by Amourisa Designs gives nice visuals of Jim and Zach.

 

Sales Link: Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 134 pages

Publication: July 18, 2017

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review:Alpha Dragon: Taran (Treasured Ink #1) by Kaz Crowley & Kellan Larkin

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Tattooing is Taran’s passion, and opening a shop with his four best friends is a dream come true. But when his fated mate walks right in the door on day one, he realizes life is gonna get crazy.

 

And then a rival tattoo shop opens right across the street. This alpha dragon’s got too much to handle, and if he’s not careful, he’s going to lose his passion, his friends, and his fated omega.

 

All Nosko wanted was a tattoo to remember his grandmother by. He didn’t think he’d meet the man he’d been waiting his whole life for. Is it the right time, though? His art gallery’s sales are dropping, and he needs to focus.

 

Just when he thinks he has it all under control, he gets mugged by someone who has a bone to pick with dragon shifters. How can he raise a family if he doesn’t feel safe in his own home?

 

With a rogue criminal targeting dragons and a flagging business, he needs to get his head on straight. And on top of that, Taran gets him pregnant.

 

What’s a guy to do?

 

This was an interesting story.  I’m not sure how they know who other paranormals are as they can’t seem to really sense them.  I understand this is the beginning of a new series, I think it leaves a lot of questions like; what is Annika and how did they quickly become such good friends, paranormals are hiding from humans but how is Taran hiding his pregnancy.

 

Taran and Nosko did a lot of flip flopping of their emotions near the beginning.  Nosko wasn’t looking for a mate but then in the next scene was always hoping for that loving connection.  Taran seemed all in and then pushed Nosko away and quickly jumps in again and they are suddenly having a baby.  I enjoyed the story and will probably read some more of the series but something was just missing from the building of the characters and story.

 

The cover art is nice and gives some nice visuals.

 

Sales Link: Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 152 pages

Publication: January 16, 2018

Edition Language: English

Series: Treasured Ink #1

A MelanieM Review: All The World’s An Undead Stage (Offbeat Crimes #6) by Angel Martinez

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

Old actors never die shouldn’t be literally true.

Carrington Loveless III, skim-blood vampire and senior officer of Philly’s paranormal police department, has long suspected that someone’s targeting his squad. The increasingly bizarre and dangerous entities invading their city can’t be a coincidence. So when a walking corpse spouting Oscar Wilde attacks one of his officers, Carrington’s determined to uncover the evil mind behind it all.

As a rare books librarian, Erasmus Graham thought he understood some of the stranger things in life. Sharing a life with Carrington’s shown him he didn’t know the half of it. They’ve survived attack books and deadly dust bunnies together and got through mostly unscathed.

Now his world and his vampire’s appear ready to collide again. Books are missing from the rare books’ collection—old tomes of magic containing dangerous summonings and necromancy. He’s certain whoever’s been stalking the Seventy-Seventh is composing their end game.

It’s going to take a consolidated effort from paranormal police, librarians, and some not-quite-authorized civilians to head off the impending catastrophe.

As I said before, I’m sort of running out of superlatives here.  Angel Martinez and this series, Offbeat Crimes, has given us wildly imaginative and perfectly wonderful in every way characters, over the top creatures like ginormous pills bugs from space and lethal flying verse spitting books, an overall arc and villain to literally die for.  Of course, some of the main characters here are already dead, including Carr, aka  Det. Carrington Loveless III, a vampire who has a real distaste for blood and lives off a “blood lite” version that he still finds barely edible.  Oh and he’s in love with a rare books librarian Erasmus Graham.  What a couple, a great one among quite a few memorable ones with this series.

In All The World’s An Undead Stage (Offbeat Crimes #6) Angel Martinez brings this  particular arc to an end, although I’m hoping with all my heart not the series.  A evil mage has been targeting the Seventy-Seventh Precinct and we are soon to find out who and why.

And it involves  zombie actors spouting verse coming to kill them.  Nods.  Of course it does.  Makes perfect sense.  In an Angel Martinez world.

And that’s just the opening act as they say.

Because there are layers and layers to these stories.  It’s never just about the villain and his nefarious plans for…well…whatever.  It’s also about relationships, romantic ones, working dynamics, interspecies communication, even something beyond that here as the Precinct is made up of all types of intelligent beings even if we aren’t quite sure of their origin.  All The World’s An Undead Stage is about the beings inside of it, working together to survive, go forward, and yes, thrive while loving each other and keeping the world safe.

That’s a tall order when you are facing evil of this magnitude.

And I’ve come to care deeply about everyone, every character here due to the author’s superb characterizations and writing skills.  How else do you explain me sobbing away here:

Carrington took a quick glance back at Hunter and LJ.  They held each other tight–strange orphans abandoned on the darkest possible of nights. LJ lifted a sleeve in a wave and Carrington returned it with a salute.  They were, without a doubt, the bravest jackets he had ever met.

We are talking about animated clothing here.  Two jackets…a couple, (LJ a leather jacket and Hunter, a pea coat) who have become two of the characters I’m fondest of.  At that imagery?  I’m bawling like a baby.  Especially if you knew the rest of the context.  The author has over the course of this series given these jackets life and personality.  Oh, yes, love and a relationship. You forget you are crying over flying bits of linen and leather but recognize them as beings that levitate and love each other, that have pride in being part of the Seventy-Seventh Precinct and show fear of loss.

Extrapolate that depth of characterization to the cast of beings, the humans with quirky “talents”, the wolf cursed to be a human, the vampire who can’t stand blood, the firestarters, the shakers and quakers, all the couples and the ‘animals’ who make up the Seventy-Seventh.  They are all here in amazing detail and dimension, alive, vivid and believable.

Carrington and Erasmus are at the top of this story as they focus on their relationship while adding up clues, hunting missing books, and dealing with Carrington’s mother.  All the various story threads flow easily together, weaving in and out, like some weird, wonderful supernatural tapestry.  I arrived at the end far too quickly, a little shaken, counting all the characters to make sure everyone arrived safely (still not sure I counted right).  And now I’m squinting at some of those lines of the authors.

Hmmm.

I mean, it’s quite all right for 42 to be the answer to life, the universe and everything.  But really, “Someone feed the gouramis!”  Damn pesky fish.  More books, Ms Martinez, more books are definitely needed because as we all know carp are never to be trusted!

Read it…it will make sense..I promise you.  But if you are new to the series, don’t start here.  Read them all in order.  It’s such a pleasure watching the men, women, beings of the Seventy-Seventh learn to come together from a shaky beginning to the solid unit they are here that depends and yes, feels deep affection for each other (more for the couples).  For me this is a must read series.  I highly recommend it.

Cover art: Posh Gosh.  I like the covers and the way it brands the series.

Sales Links:  Pride Publishing | Amazon

Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published January 2nd 2018 by Pride Publishing
Original TitleAll the World’s an Undead Stage
ISBN139781786516602
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Offbeat Crimes – Add it to your Goodreads now:

A MelanieM Review: The Case of the Man Eater (Kanaan & Tilney #2) by Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Wolf-Beast and ex-cop Lowell Kanaan recently brought his boyfriend, Elementalist and mystery author John Tilney, into the PI business with him. They’ve been solving cases for Boston’s varied praeternatural communities ever since. So when a young Terran feels that the brutal murder of his Beast boyfriend isn’t being treated seriously enough by the police, he brings the case to Kanaan & Tilney for a second opinion.

Similarly defiled corpses pop up around Boston as they race to find the killer. All the victims are packless Beasts, like Lowell, and the vicious nature of the killings stir up old prejudices in the praeternatural community, Beast and otherwise. Throw a personal vendetta and some ugly family history for Lowell in the mix, and the trails are as muddy as ever.

This case will test Kanaan & Tilney’s strength, both as a PI team and a couple. It’ll take all they have to keep each other alive—and stop a serial killer.

Private investigators Lowell Kanaan and boyfriend John Tilney are back with another heartbreaking case of murder that hits close to home.  This time they are called in to investigate the murder of a packless lion, torn and cut up in an alleyway, parts of him missing.  That the lion-beast was packless like Lowell was enough for them to take the case…then more are killed, and it looks like Lowell could be a target.

In this story more of Lowell’s history and the nature of the pack organization/culture comes to light, and not in a good one. Those that are packless are looked down upon by others, said that their state will make them feral without the structure of the pack.  Their “second class citizenship” is made evident through their self help groups and troubled lives within the stories.  Easy prey for a murderer.

While investigating the crimes, the authors dive into the evolving relationship of Kanaan and Tilney, progressing as work partners as well as  romantic ones.  I loved them as both and enjoyed the dynamics between them, hot, sexy, and in one instance, where they impersonated tourists, very funny.

I wish there had been more about the actual murderer.  That seemed a bit fuzzy at best.  The action was swift and suspenseful but the actual person behind it and who they were?  That needed more groundwork and a better foundation here.  That actually would be the only thing that people coming at this story new would find fault with.  It’s not a stand alone.  You need to read the first story and then come here.  I loved the coroner and look forward to more investigations where he and other continuing characters resume their roles.

Cover art by Dar Albert.  I like the intense cover.  The old typewriter font and the story elements,  Nice!

Sales Links:  Loose id  | Amazon

Book Details:

Published December 26th 2017 by Loose Id
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL http://kanaanandtilneyinvestigations.com/
SeriesKanaan & Tilney #2