Category: Vampires

Blog Tour for Blood Bathory: Absence Of The Sun by Ari McKay – guest post and giveaway

Hello again! Itís Ari of Ari McKay, and the lovely folks here at Scattered Thoughts apparently havenít gotten tired of me yet, since theyíve given me the opportunity to talk to you all once more! Today Iím here with our re-release of Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun, book two of the Guardians of Gaia series, and I really canít tell you just how excited I am that this book is back in circulation!

Absence of the Sun picks up the Blood Bathory saga very shortly after the end of Like the Night, but you donít have to have read Like the Night to follow the action (although, of course, we would love it if you do!) The theriomorph shapeshifters have fought the vampires in New York City to a standstill, forcing a retreat. Anna Nadasdy, Elizabethís daughter, has imprisoned her mother in a coffin and denied her blood, forcing Elzabeth into torpor. But the theriomorphs under the command of Marielle Du Lac receive a request from Antonio De Barajas, the leader of Gaiaís European guardians. Anna is refusing to feed Elizabethís ghouls, and the half-vampire creatures are starving, tearing apart both rogue vampires and innocent humans indiscriminately. Antonio needs help to track down and destroy the ghouls, and the person whose help he wants most is Tyr Gustavson.

Tyr, however, has been feral for seventy years. Following the slaughter of his lover, Aaron, and the other theriomorphs he was working with on a rescue mission at the close of WWII, Tyr retreated into his tiger form, unable to bear the loss. Antonio manages to coax his friend into returning to the human world, and along with Marielle, Will Trask, Evan St. John, Steven Avalon, and several other theriomorphs, Tyr heads to France and back into the eternal struggle.

As their task winds down, however, the group makes an unexpected discovery. They stumble upon one of Elizabethís twisted ìprisonsî — a mausoleum where she holds captive vampires in coffins, leaving them to the mental torture of a ghoul keeper. The group proceeds to destroy the remaining vampiresÖ all but one. Lying in torpor they find Captain Adam Carson, a human who was among the POWs Tyrís group had been trying to rescue on that long-ago nightmare mission. Marielle decides to allow Adam to be revived using a small amount of potent theriomorph blood in order to question him about the mission, and, to the surprise of everyone, Adam requests that they stake him to end the existence he loathes.

Instead of destruction, Marielle does the unthinkable, allowing Adam to join the group. She senses something in him similar to Evan St. John, who resisted Elizabethís machinations and help fight against her. Tyr is horrified that yet another vampire is being allowed to join them, though part of his objection to Adam is that he feels guilt at having failed to keep Adam from being taken by Elizabeth.

AndÖ well, I donít want to give away the entire plot! Suffice it to say that Tyr and Adam have a rocky road finding their way to romance, including Adamís encounter with Thrace, the traitor Dark Guardian who created the first of the Nosferatu, then Unspeakable Ones the theriomorphs have been fighting for almost a thousand years.

I hope youíve enjoyed this small glimpse into the world of Absence of the Sun, and that youíre intrigued enough to check out both it and the first book in the series. The cover art is by the incredible Lou Harper of Cover Affairs, who has so perfectly caught the essence of Adam for us. Thanks for giving me a few minutes of your day, and have a wonderful week!


Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Cover Design: Lou Harper @ Cover Affairs

 
Add to GoodreadsThe Guardians of Gaia Series


Blood Bathory: Like The Night (Book #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

Tyger tyger, burning brightÖ


As theriomorphs in the service of Gaia, Tyr Gustavson and his lover Aaron fought against the vampires aiding the Third Reich during WWII. But even the fierceness of Tyrís tiger form couldnít save Aaron from being torn apart when a mission went horribly wrong. Lost in his pain, Tyr remained feral until he was unwillingly recalled to Gaiaís service seventy years later.


In the forests of the night…


When fighter pilot Adam Carsonís plane was shot down, he thought the worst that could happen was being sent to a Nazi prison camp. Little did he know there were other monsters in the shadows, and one of them wanted to claim him. But refusing Elizabeth Bathory had a price. Adam was turned against his will and trapped in a coffin as punishment for his resistance.


What immortal hand or eyeÖ


While hunting ghouls, Tyr and his colleagues discover Adamís prison. Believing he could be an asset, Marielle Du Lac frees him. Adam joins the team and is drawn to Tyr, despite Tyrís hatred of vampires. When Tyr rejects Adam out of fear, Adam accepts a suicidal mission to find Thrace, the original nosferatu. If their desperate plan works, the theriomorphs could destroy not only Elizabeth, but the sire of all vampires as well. But if it fails, they could unleash a force leading to the destruction of them allÖ and perhaps of Gaia herself.



June 5 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
June 7 – Joyfully Jay
June 9 – Bayou Book Junkie
June 11 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
June 12 – The Novel Approach
June 13 – Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings, Lillian Francis – Author, Book Review By Virginia Lee
June 14 – MM Good Book Reviews

About The Authors


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 Hercís 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, sheís relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.


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June Continues Romance Month and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

June Continues Romance Month

With a break for Memorial Weekend, we are back at the topic of Romance, Royal Weddings, and stories! Yep, we didn’t forget! Often June is the month that kicks of the rush of wedding season and if its LGBT, it makes no difference, because it’s the weather driving the date as well as the timing.  So it’s back to romance, weddings, and stories!

So first of all  let’s go right to those wonderful recommendations for Royal Wedding Stories.  Here they are:

Royal Wedding Story Recommendations:

From ChaosMoon:

Tere Michaels Faith, Love, and Devotion series and Groomzilla
L.B. Gregg’s How I Met Your Father
E.M. Lynley’s Sex, Lies, and Wedding Bells
Legally Wed by Rick R. Reed
The Best Man by LA Witt
Until You  by T.J. Klune
First Comes Marriage by Shira Anthony
Wedlocked by Ella Fank
Wedding Favors by Anne Tenino

Megan Derr A Suitable Replacement
Megan Derr The Stable Boy
Megan Derr The High King’s Golden Tongue
Amber Kell Orlin’s Fall

Josh Lanyon Other People’s Weddings

 

From H.B.:

Hellion Club series by Aiden Bates (Book 2 and 3 come to mind)
Omega Society Auction by Eileen Glass
Dragon’s Hoard by M.A. Church
The Harvest series by M.A. Church
Wed to the Omega by Ashe Moon
The Pretend Husband by Declan Rhodes
Married for a Month by Cate Ashwood
Married for the Millions by Parker Avrile
Marriage of Inconvenience by M.J. O’Shea
A Marriage of Convenience by Devyn Morgan
Red River by Cardeno C.
Signed and Sealed by B.A. Stretke
Groom of Convenience by by Vicktor Alexander
King’s Conquest by by Valentina Heart

From Jeri:

What Binds Us by Larry Benjamin
Kitto (Tyack & Frayne #4) by Harper Fox
Betrothed: A Faery Tale by Therese Woodson
The King’s Courage (North Pole City Tales #6) by Charlie Cochet
Dear Mona Lisa… by Claire Davis & Al Stewart
Wedlocked (Preslocke #3) by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine

 

Right now, I’m feeling gobsmacked as the British would say because I have only listed  half of the recommendations! These are wonderful.  I have so many more to give you, and that will come next week because of the length of the list.  And that we will announce 2 winners.

Winner Announcement!

The first winner?  That would be  ChaosMoon.   Congratulations. Please contact Stella at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com to receive your gift card.  Another winner will be announced next week along with the remainder of your recommendations!

Now about romance stories. I’ve read several this week that I just adored and they are all over the place genre wise.  Several I’m reviewing this week.  One, His Leading Man by Ashlyn Kane, is pure romance.  No angst, just lovely sweet road to love and HEA.  It left a happiness in my heart and a perfect way to fall into June.  Another?  A scary, rollercoaster A ride action story and total romance that ends Rhys Ford’s Sinners series, Sin and Tonic.  Angst galore, murder and suspense!  Totally at the other end of the contemporary spectrum.

Coming up I swung from the M/M historical romances straight from the WWI front and pages of Charlie Cochrane’s stories,Pack Up Your Troubles, which broke my heart before putting it back together again to the fantasy of Life Itself by Elizabeth Bones and the magnificent weirdness and horror of Bourbon and Bones by Dorian Graves.  All those are to come.  Be on the look out for them next week and the week after.

Romance across the ages, romance across the genres…even across the species!  Love in every form possible is what we celebrate in our stories we hold close to our hearts.  Vampire or were, WWI soldier or that of a warrior on a world far far away, we are captivated by  love and relationships, personalities and the path to HFN or HEA.

That’s our theme this month.  Chime in, give us more stories, favorite books.  LIstopia!  Here we come!

 

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, June 3:

  • Cover Reveal Magic or Die (Inner Demons, Book One) by JP Jackson
  • June Continues Romance Month
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, June 4:

  • Ashlyn Kane on His Leading Man (Author Guest Blog)
  • Release Blitz – Out, Proud, and Prejudiced – Megan Reddaway
  • In the Spotlight:  Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge
  • A Lucy Review: Whatever Comes First by MK Lee
  • An Alisa Review: What It Seems by Sydney Blackburn
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Hush by Tal Bauer and Joel Leslie (Narrator)
  • An Ali Audiobook Review: All the Way to Shore (Stories from the Shore #1) by CJane Elliott and Tim McKiernan (Narrator)

Tuesday, June 5:

  • BLOG TOUR  Blood Bathory: Absence Of The Sun by Ari McKay – excerpt and giveaway
  • DSP Promo Charlie David
  • Release Blitz – Made In Portugal by Ana Newfolk
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: BFF by K.C. Wells
  • A Lucy Review: Detour by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: His Leading Man by Ashlyn Kane
  • A Stella Review: Out, Proud, and Prejudiced by Megan Reddaway

Wednesday, June 6:

  • Tour: Jaqui the Cat Mysteries by Alexis Duran
  • KICKSTARTER BLOG TOUR for Themensha by MxKnowitall
  • Tour for Mercs by Dorian Dawes
  •  Release Blitz, Tour – Ari McKay – Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun
  • A Caryn Review:  A Tiny Piece of Something Greater by Jude Sierra
  • A MelanieM Review:  Demon Familiar (Wanted #1) by Bellora Quinn and Sadie Rose Bermingham

Thursday, June 7:

  • BLOG TOUR – Under Five by Michael War
  • JL Merrow on Wight Mischief
  • Series Recap Blitz Marshall Thornton – Boystown Series
  • A Stella Review: Plummet to Soar by  Z.A. Maxfield
  • A VVivacious Review: Military Emancipation, by David O. Sullivan
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: The Foxling Soldati (Soldati Hearts #2) by Charlie Cochet and Manuel Pombo (Narrator)

Friday, June 8:

  • DSP Publications Promo Alan Chin
  • Release Blitz  – Annabelle Jacobs – Butterfly Assassin
  • Spotlight on Pack Up Your Troubles Series by Charlie Cochrane
  • A Lucy Review: Face the Music (Replay #1) by K.M. Neuhold
  • A Stella Review: His Wildest Dream (Portville Omegaverse #3)  by Xander Collins
  • An Alisa Review: Under Five by Michael War

Saturday, June 9:

  • Release Blitz – Behind The Lights by TL Travis
  • A MelanieM Review:  Sin and Tonic (Sinners #6)  by Rhys Ford

 

 

 

 

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The Recruit by Addison Albright

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Phillip Brewer has terminal cancer. Considering his youth, that death sentence is shocking and depressing so he spends his good days walking around and enjoying the sights Mother Nature provides, knowing his time for joy is limited. When he meets Albert Manlii, a good-looking older man, he’s immediately attracted at first, and then he’s intrigued by the bizarre proposal Albert makes. Albert is offering him eternal life if Phillip chooses to join his organization. That organization is made up of vampires and its sole purpose seems to be to keep them functioning as a society without coming to the attention of humans.

Intriguing? Yes. But he must agree immediately and then the conversion will be done as soon as he agrees. So saying yes and diving in with both feet, he’s suddenly a part of this vast organization and he’s most definitely in the midst of a romance that he’s unprepared for. It seems Albert is his soulmate and that couldn’t make Phillip happier.

The story had so much potential but the action and execution was choppy. It’s as if the author wanted to cover everything and made an outline of key points. Then she filled in those points but not enough and somewhere along the way there’s a disconnect. Scenes don’t feel complete. New situations aren’t fully explored. The romance is fast, definitely insta-love, though that’s somewhat normal for a soulmate situation. But even the scenes of the two together are sketchy at best. Every scene seems rushed. It would likely have been so much better if it was much more fully developed.

But on the whole, I liked this story and I definitely liked the concept. Unfortunately, the execution keeps me from going any higher than 3 stars.

~~

The cover by Written Ink Designs features a close-up of a young man in a hoodie with blood at the corner of his mouth. This represents Phillip’s initial vampire bite and fits the story perfectly.

Sales Links:  Amazon |    Books2Read Universal Buy-Link | Publisher/JMS Books, LLC

Book Details:

ebook, 69 pages
Expected publication: June 16th 2018 by JMS Books, LLC
ISBN139781634866668
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttps://authoraddisonalbright.com/my-publications/stand-alone-stories/the-recruit/
CharactersAlbert Manlii, Phillip Brewer, Neil Franklin

Blog Tour for The Curse by Kethric Wilcox (excerpt and giveaway)

The Curse: Origin of the Vampires

by

Kethric Wilcox

Kethric Wilcox has a new MM paranormal vampire book out:

Cain Slays Abel!

In this day and age, that’s not an earth-shattering headline. We want headlines that scream of life-altering events.

Terrorists Nuke Peace Conference!

Wow! What a gripping headline. This is something to change the world. Oh, wait! The world did transform. This ran as the lead story a few hours before the beginning of The Upheaval. The current world birthed in nuclear fire and electromagnetic disruption. Gone are the nations I grew up with. My life altered again.

Cain Slays Abel!

The truth behind such a classic story is far more complicated than anyone could imagine.

The brothers’ tale is a life-altering event, at least for me. Twice a report of murder transformed my life in an unpredictable way. I am Richard St. Martin, Master of Darkness. Before my story can be told, you need to learn the story of the first dark monster, Cain. My stepchildren call him Father Cain because he was the first. To find the actuality behind the myth, I recruited two talented mortals – Dr. Jeremiah Banks, Archaeologist, and Professor Juan Di Vargas, Theologian and Religious Scholar. Together they found the secret origin of the vampires:

The Curse!

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Excerpt

The Curse banner

JEREMIAH SURVEYED his clothing choices for the conference and grimaced. He hated suits, but Dr. Sinclair, the dean of his department, and Mrs. Pike, the dean’s secretary and sort of a second mother, both insisted he dress in professional academic attire.

“You’re representing the University of Arizona and the Republic of Texas, Dr. Banks. Think of the university’s reputation. Don’t appear like you are fresh off the boat following months in the field,” Jeremiah recalled Dr. Sinclair saying as he handed him his clearance to travel. During a visit to her house, Mrs. Pike said similar things before she called her late husband’s tailor and made an appointment to fit Jeremiah for new suits. Suits made Jeremiah uncomfortable, he preferred sturdy field clothing, but Dr. Sinclair held firm, no wild field archaeologist attire. Resigned to his fate, Jeremiah gave into almost all the dean’s requirements, but refused when the request came to cutting his long copper locks. Jeremiah brushed through his hair, twisted, and slid the length into a sapphire-encrusted leather tube to hold everything in check.

The Emir, who oversaw his dig on behalf of the caliph’s government, gave him the hair binder as a gift. The man developed a fascination with Jeremiah’s copper hair and its silky texture. With his hair under control, Jeremiah dressed to impress in a navy-blue suit with a subtle white pinstripe. Sapphire cufflinks and tie tack finished the ensemble. The cufflinks came as a second present from the emir after a night of admiring Jeremiah’s body in all its naked glory. The combination of Jeremiah’s pale skin and fiery chest hair and pubic region, plus the impressive prick and balls in their natural state, fascinated the noble. The emir never touched him or asked for contact; the man wanted to check if the red hair remained the same color all the way down.

All three pieces of jewelry helped to highlight his bright blue eyes. Jeremiah checked himself in the mirror before picking up his notes and slides for his lecture and heading down to breakfast. During the evening, the staff worked their magic, transforming the ballroom from reception hall into a dining room. A waiter led Jeremiah to his assigned table and seat right next to Prof. O’Grady. The rest of the table filled with other scholars from universities in the Republic of Texas. He found Dr. Lanister’s vacant seat next to his and opposite Prof. O’Grady. “Prof. O’Grady, I want to apologize for the rude comments last night at the reception.”

“No, Dr. Banks, if anyone got out of line last night, I did, and should be doing the apologizing. Thank you for correcting my attitude towards Dr. Lanister. I spoke way out of line. I wanted to apologize to him in person, but the hotel informed me Dr. Lanister checked out late last night claiming illness and returned home.”

“I’m sorry he departed. He stopped by my room last night reeking of alcohol, so I encouraged him to retire for the evening. I’m sorry to learn he caught something,” came Jeremiah’s reply as a waiter stopped and filled his coffee cup. “I wonder, are you familiar with Prof. Juan Di Vargas from the University of Madrid?”

“Only by reputation, Dr. Banks. I understand he’s presenting today on how the story of the Flood developed in several early cultures,” O’Grady remarked, signaling the waiter to take her plate. “Don’t you present today as well, Dr. Banks?”

“Yes, about an hour after Prof. Di Vargas. I hope to catch a moment of his time between lectures. His latest paper mentioned the possibility of the biblical city of Enoch being in the Tigris-Euphrates Delta. I think Enoch might be part of the culture, which produced the tablets I found. I wish to compare research with him.”

“Good luck in your endeavor. Di Vargas doesn’t often deal with those who pursue the more physical aspects of their researches, at least according to his reputation. I can arrange for you to speak with a scholar of the period more open to using archaeology. Let me introduce you to Prof. Chevalier from the University of Paris.”

She missed Jeremiah’s grimace of distaste, which he hid behind a sip of coffee. Chevalier’s research clashed with every line of the investigation he pursued while Di Vargas’s headed in a similar direction from a different angle. Jeremiah wiped his hands with his napkin, picked up his notes and slides, and rose from the table.

“Thank you for the offer, Dr. O’Grady. Perhaps another time. Please excuse me. I need to make sure the media team receives enough time to arrange the presentation before lecturing. I’m confident we’ll cross paths at dinner.”

“I think they plan to mix things up tonight, but there will be other meetings during the conference. Such a pleasure to meet you again, Jeremiah, or I should say Dr. Banks. You stood out, one of my more promising students, and I’m proud of how well you blossomed under Adamson’s direction.” O’Grady offered Jeremiah her hand. “I’m eager for your lecture this afternoon.”

Jeremiah shook her hand and left to track down the media team. He still needed to set up his slides before attending the lectures he wanted to listen to this morning.

Author Bio

Kethric Wilcox

Kethric Wilcox began writing and publishing as a personal challenge to be creative in a new medium. He was attracted to the LGBT Romance genre after reading several paranormal romances where it seemed like the shape-shifters never faced dangers outside the relationship issues thrown at them by their authors. Thus was born the shifter hunting House of Beauty on the premise of a twisted fairy tale. What if Beauty and the Beast didn’t end with happily ever after? Wilcox’s Legend of the Silver Hunter trilogy looks at this question and then asks what happens if a member of this family falls in love with a descendant of the Beast, can they find happily ever after or are they doomed to repeat the tale. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Wilcox now lives and works in Little Rock, Arkansas in a house that he and his partner renovated. By day Wilcox is a graphic artist and exhibit designer, and at night an author of paranormal romances.

Wilcox currently has two new trilogies in progress: Origin of the Vampires (The Curse, Lord Hunter, and Lord Slayer) set in a dystopian future of the Silver Hunter world; and Legacy of the Silver Hunter (The Goldilocks Pledge, Ruby Wine, and Black Snow) which continues the story told in the Legend trilogy from the view points of other couples in Kieran and Cory’s lives.

Author Website: http://www.kethricwilcox.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/Kethric

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/WorldoftheSilverHunter/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/KethricW

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9818683.Kethric_Wilcox

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/kethric-wilcox/

Author Amazon: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/kethric-wilcox/