Category: Shifters, Weres

A MelanieM Recent Release Review: Dragon Soldier (Supernatural Consultant Book 5) by Mell Eight

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

The aftermath of the last battle has left Nickel weak in bed and grounded for the next decade. Despite being in trouble, Nickel wants to return to the battle as soon as he can, but thoughts of Platinum, the dragon helping to nurse him back to health, keep distracting him.

Platinum can’t believe how much his life has changed. He went from being a lonely fugitive on the run to part of a family in only hours. The last few days have been his happiest, especially now that he’s met Nickel. He knows it’s only temporary, though. The enemy that kept him captive for most of his life isn’t finished with him yet, and even Platinum and Nickel’s combined powers might not be enough to save them.

Dragon Soldier was a different sort of story in this series, focusing on the relationship between Nickel and Platinum, and Nickel’s recovery from his last battle which left him comatose and healing.  Now awake, Nickel is having a hard time with his slow recovery and being kept away from the investigation into the man responsible for the dragon kidnapping and experimentation.  Nickel has always been a favorite of mine, so having a Nickel centric book is a plus.

The romance between Platinum and Nickel is slowly heating up.  Think teenagers discovering love and romance for the first time.  Gentle, sweet and endearing and ever so slow that you shouldn’t expect things past a cuddles and a kiss.

I loved all that part of this story.  Even the battles and Platinum’s working through the damage left over from his time as an experimental subject.  All those was typically wonderful Mell Eight.

The only places where I feel this story came up short was in the villain aspect and the conclusion.  I felt shortchanged somehow.  With everything that went before, I wanted rants and ravings of a lunatic or explosions or something.  I don’t know.  It just  seemed sort of quiet.  All the rest was lovely.  The author does seem to be wrapping this series up.  Not sure yet.  But I adored the dragons and this family, so I hope not.  I’ll be waiting to see if there’s more to come.

Cover art by Aisha Akeju includes an element of the story but really doesn’t work as a design.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 30,000 words
Published March 7th 2017 by Less Than Three Press, LLC
ASINB06XH1YR8J

A Stella Review: Three Hearts by Grace R. Duncan

RATING 2,5 out of 5 stars

Liam Scott is sick. That’s not supposed to be possible. As a wolf shifter, he’s supposed to be able to heal. The omega gene he was born with means he’s capable of carrying shifter young and Liam is worried that whatever is wrong will mean his one-day hope of having pups will be dashed. But despite the fears keeping him away from the doctor until now, he knows he needs to go.

It turns out the sickness is temporary, but the treatment causes a whole other problem.

Mason’s alpha gene means he’s one of very few wolves who can impregnate an omega male. For two years, he’d been watching Liam, but things kept getting in the way. When Liam shows up in heat, Mason recognizes the opportunity he needs and doesn’t hesitate make to Liam his mate and the father of his pups.

But Liam has old wounds and fears to work through which the pregnancy is only making worse, and Mason isn’t sure how to get past them to show he’s serious about making a life together as loving mates. It’s not until a female wolf decides Mason should be hers that Liam makes his biggest worry known—and Mason can finally put the fears to rest.

I was very enthusiastic to read this new release by Grace R Duncan, I’m a fan of male pregnancy stories and I jumped at the chance at having this book on my hands.

While I love the theme and the general idea of Three Hearts, I have to say I had a couple of problems with it: first of all, too many sex scenes that almost put me off at the start and although I forced myself to go on, it changed nothing. It was a succession of hot, steamy sex, I could enjoyed it some but it was a little too much and too repetitive. And this is the adjective I had on my mind through all the story. Repetitive, and boring too. The chapters told me always the same thing. I followed Mason and Liam through the pregnancy, the causes, the cravings, the delivery, and some scenes were really cute, others made me smile, and I loved all the secondary characters, well defined and all of them positive persons. Being a huge fan of mm stories with children in them, I would have preferred more pages on the MCs and their huge family, where at the end I got very few words about what happened after. I appreciated how the author explained in detail how the male preg functioned, the parts often ignored or just drafted in books I previously read, here were well described and gave almost reality to the male preg.

Three Hearts to me fell a little short, too simplistic, full of sex and attraction and with no romance at all. In my opinion it could have worked better if it had been shorter, more than 200 pages was definitely too much considering the author chose to focus all the story on the pregnancy. It dragged and left me dubious and unsatisfied.

The cover art by Jess Small is nice but not very eye catching.

Sales Links

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 214 pages

Published March 3rd 2017

ASIN B01MYFCBSE

Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Tortoise Interruptus by JL Merrow

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

tortoise-interruptus-by-jl-merrowCursed by an impatient witch to turn into a tortoise at inopportune moments, Tip is horrified to find himself tortoise-napped by a customer at the Isle of Wight cafe where he works.

 

Things start to look up when Tip ends up very literally in the capable hands of drop-dead gorgeous Steve, but Tip soon begins to wonder just how far he can trust Steve, who turns out to have a close connection with his kidnapper. Tip’s attempts at a normal life — and love life — seem doomed to remain frustrated in more ways than one!

 

Inspired by a real-life incident. Yes, really.

 

What a sweet and funny story.  Tip has been dealing with the fact that he can turn into a tortoise at any time after he was cursed by a witch.  It has really put a damper on his ability to live his life since he never has more than a few minutes notice.

 

We see Tip’s complete frustration at his situation and knowing there is nothing he can do about it.  When he changes back right in front of Steve he can’t believe his luck that the handsome man would want him.  Steve doesn’t care about the curse and is willing to be patient if it gets in the way, which it like a breath of fresh air to Tip’s most recent dating experiences.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is cute and catches your eye.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 33 pages

Published: January 28, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634862851

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Audiobook Review: Kieran: The Atherton Pack 4 By Toni Griffin and Nick Flint (Narrator)

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

ap4-kieran-audio6x6_orig“You need to go to Atherton,” they said. Easy for them. The higher-ups at headquarters don’t have their whole world on the line. When Detective Damon Kelly’s bosses send him across the state on a “simple” cyber fraud case, he never thinks he’d meet his mate, then risk losing Kieran by doing his job. No matter what other possible angles Damon works, his partner Grant Davis is sure Kieran’s best friend Corey’s their guy, and Grant is bent on bringing him in.

 

After the birth of their Alpha’s son, the Atherton Pack needs another beta. Kieran Baxter couldn’t be happier to accept. What Kieran doesn’t expect is for all hell to break loose his first week on the job. Clashing with his mate at every turn, and fighting a human cop who wants to arrest Corey for hacking a government database, wasn’t part of the plan either.

 

As more evidence piles up, a bigger, scarier picture comes into focus that could threaten not only the Atherton Pack, but everything the world knows.

 

This was another great addition to the Atherton Pack series.  Damon is thrown for a loop when he meets his mate while investigating his mate’s best friend while also trying to guide his work partner away from the obvious suspect.  Kieran is excited to meet his mate, but doesn’t know how to reconcile his friendship with his mate’s job.  A lot of other things went on than just Damon and Kieran’s relationship and I can’t wait to see how all the changes in the world of shifters will affect the future books.

 

Damon is determined to do the right thing with his job, while also leading them away from the truth in order to keep the pack safe.  When he is forced to take drastic measures to keep his mate and other shifters safe he hopes it will all work out.  Throughout this story I could feel how conflicted Damon was with his job and mate knowing what he had to do, but he was determined to have a relationship with Kieran despite everything.  Kieran has a lot of trouble accepting the situation he has been put in and knows he has to look at things from all sides to get the whole story.  These two went about the opposite of the others and jumped into sex and then have to learn to make everything work after the fact.

 

Nick Flint did a wonderful job again narrating this story.  I was able to understand the characters through the voices and emotions he portrayed.  We saw a lot more characters points of view in this story and he easily kept them each unique so there wasn’t any mix up what was going on.

 

Cover art is wonderful and follows the pattern for the series.

 

Sales Links: Audible | Amazon | iTunes

 

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 7 hrs 27 min
Published: January 6, 2017 (ebook, published October 19, 2016) by Mischief Corner Books
Edition Language: English

Series: The Atherton Pack #4

An Alisa Review: What the Cat Dragged In by Kate Steele

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

what-the-cat-dragged-in-by-kate-steeleAn owl and a pussycat? Seriously? Oh yeah. Seriously hot.

 

It’s a case of lust at first sight. The sizzle between Kyle and Bryan ignites into a passionate encounter with an unexpected result. Fun and games between this owl and lynx shifter are all well and good, but love? That’s more than either one expected, and, for this interspecies couple, may be the very thing that tears them apart.

 

This is a cute short story.  Kyle always runs when Bryan is around because he doesn’t know how Bryan will take his attraction.  When Bryan uses Kyle’s games against him things get interesting.

 

I loved how Bryan didn’t care about what others would think of their relationship and just went with being with the man he wanted.  Kyle has more doubts, but when he sees that Bryan won’t hold prejudices against him he opens up.  Both characters make mistakes which we see in their interactions, but want to do right by the other in the end .

 

Cover art by April Martinez is nice and is a standard “fling” cover for Loose Id.

 

Sales Links: Loose Id | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 48 pages

Published: January 24, 2017 by Loose Id

ISBN: 9781682522943

Edition Language: English

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The New Wolf (Building the Pack #1) by RJ Scott

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

the-new-wolfThis was an interesting twist on wolf shifter stories and the beginning of a trilogy that will be completed by two other authors, so it’s definitely not a standalone.

Veterinarian Josh Nolan and his partner, Connor Vincent, move to Black Creek, Vermont, after a shooting incident in their former location severely injured Connor, who was a cop in that city. Hired by the Sheriff’s Department in Black Creek, Connor finds life here a lot quieter than in the city so starts to look through cold-case files. What he discovers is a series of injuries, deaths, and disappearances in the late sixties to early seventies that were never solved, though they did abruptly end. But he’s cautioned by the sheriff to leave the mysteries alone.

One night, however, Josh is severely injured when he stops to help a large dog who was hit by a car. The driver disappeared, and as Josh was struggling to help the large animal that looked remarkably like a wolf, someone attacked him. Fortunately, Connor arrives on scene quickly to care for him, Josh having called him when he stopped to help the animal. Shortly afterward, the sheriff and a few deputies arrive, and by the time Josh gets treatment at the local hospital, he’s been convinced that he imagined some of what he saw and that the attack couldn’t have happened that way at all.

This sets the scene for most of the story, in which much of what occurs to Josh, and later to Connor, is covered up and secretive. Ultimately, we discover that there are indeed wolf shifters in the area, and that some of the principal “human” characters are wolves who are members of a fairly new pack.

I enjoyed the story, though it felt introductory and incomplete, since the “big, bad wolf” was not taken down in this installment in the series. The established couple, Josh and Connor, were good characters, but I didn’t feel the closeness that I anticipated. They certainly had their quiet times and their sexy times, but maybe it was because of what happens to Connor, and the distance that injury created, they didn’t feel as strong a couple as I would have liked.

Nevertheless, those who enjoy paranormal/shifter stories will likely enjoy this introductory look at what promises to be an interesting and exciting series.

Cover art by Meredith Russell depicts one of the characters front and center with the full moon in the background. A nice cover but not outstanding among all others which feature a cover model as opposed to artwork or other interesting symbolism.

Sales Links

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2jseies

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jUYgGJ

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 78 pages
Published January 16th 2017 by Love Lane Books Ltd (first published August 1st 2013)
ASINB01MUBNP7M
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBuilding The Pack #1
CharactersJosh Nolan, Connor Vincent settingBlack Creek, Vermont (United States)

A Paul B Review: Kieran (The Atherton Pack #4) by Toni Griffin

Rating:  4.5 of 5 stars

kieran-the-atherton-pack-4-by-toni-griffinDamon is sent by the Brisbane police department with his partner to investigate the hacking of birth records by somebody in the Atherton area.  Atherton pack member Corey has been doing so for years in order to register births from same sex mates who have given birth.  However, he slipped up when he registered his Alpha couple’s son’s birth.  When Damon steps into Corey’s house, he scents that his mate has recently been in the house.  Unable to do anything about it, he continues his investigation trying to lead his partner away from Corey as the guilty party.

Kieran has recently returned to the Atherton pack.  Ben, not only the pack alpha but the Pennaeth Alpha (Supreme Alpha) of all Australia, has appointed Kieran as one of his Betas.  He finds it unusual for the inner circle to go out to dinner but agrees to go along.  As he enters the restaurant, he makes eye contact with Damon, his future mate.  Knowing that he is investigating his best friend does not bode well for the start of their mating.  When a couple of encounters with Damon end with Damon always retreating to his hotel room, Kieran feels betrayed and hurt even though he knows that Damon has to do his job.

Things go from bad to worse when the ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organization) is brought into the case.  After questioning, another federal organization drugs Corey and takes him away in a van.  Damon, along with the inner circle of the Atherton pack starts investigating who has taken Corey.  Thanks to his sources, Damon finds out that his worst fear has been realized—the government knows about shifters and is in the process of rounding as many of them up.  Just as he relays this information to the Atherton pack inner circle, he realizes that the pack house is about to be raided.  With the assistance of Kieran, Damon along with the alpha mate Tommy and Tommy’s son Joseph escape.  However, all the rest of the inner circle, including his mate Kieran, has been captured.  Damon now must find a way to free the captive shifters and make sure that the rest of his kind is safe from further abductions.

This fourth book in the Atherton Pack series has both romance and action in it.  Damon is torn between his job as a police officer and his duty to keep shifters safe no matter what.  He is frustrated that his mate cannot accept that he has to keep up the charade to his partner that basically he is a double agent within the police department trying to keep Corey from going to jail.  He would like to tell his partner of twelve years to ease off but that is impossible since he knows Corey is guilty.  Kieran meanwhile thinks Damon has betrayed his kind by working the federal agents.  Keep an eye out for characters from Toni Griffin’s Holland Brothers shifter series as a number of them make an appearance in this book.

The cover by Freddy MacKay works well.  A shirtless man’s back with a huge wolf’s head tattoo covering it stretches underneath a full moon with a black wolf’s muzzle looking at the man. 

Sales links available: Amazon, ARe, Bookstrand

Book Details

Ebook, 163 pages

Edition Language:  English

Published: October 19, 2016 by Mischief Corner Books

ASIN: B01M0OZAWQ

Series:  Atherton Pack

Liam (Atherton Pack #1)

Ben (Atherton Pack #2)