Category: Vampires

A Caryn Review: Drinker of Blood (SPECTR Series 2, #3) by Jordan L Hawk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is the 9th book in this series (technically it’s the 3rd of SPECTR 2, but since you can’t really read SPECTR 2 without SPECTR 1, I think of it as a continuation), and the best thing about it was knowing there will be more coming!  This book concludes with more loose ends than most of the others, but it is by no means a cliffhanger.  A new character is introduced (no spoilers, but it’s gonna be good!) that I am pretty sure will be featured strongly in the upcoming installments.

For those who have not been reading this series, this review may not make much sense.  I highly recommend the entire series, and the books are all quite short – less than 100 pages – so they are quick reads.  What keeps me coming back is the uniqueness of the paranormal aspect of the main love relationship.  John is an agent for SPECTR – the government agency responsible for eliminating non-human entities, AKA demons, from our world.  His lover Caleb is possessed by a powerful vampire spirit, Grey, but the two share the body equally.  It makes for a fascinating 3 way relationship (and sex!)  I love how Grey maintains his non-human perspective, even as he learns about human emotions and society, and Drinker of Blood highlights that “otherness” even more.

This book builds upon the tensions introduced in the last two books – their boss at SPECTR, Barillo, is increasingly antagonistic and his fear and hatred of Grey/Caleb (and not a little homophobia) are becoming too much for even John to smooth over.  Caleb has joined the Paranormally Abled Support System, but has to hide Grey from them, so John and Zahira are truly the only people who know and support Caleb/Grey.  Although the love between John, Caleb, and Grey remains strong, outside influences are becoming intolerable.  Defeating the monster du jour is almost a side plot to the building strain, and inevitable crisis.  Maybe in the next book?

Finally, I love how this author incorporates some excellent secondary characters.  Zahira continues to shine in this book, and I can’t wait to see more of the new character.  Who, by the way, is going to put even more stress upon the John/Caleb/Grey relationship in the next book, I can see it coming *wink*

Cover art by the author is consistent with the rest of the series, but I still think Grey would look more menacing in his kevlar-lined elk hide coat instead of a tee shirt 🙂

Sales Links

Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 84 pages
Expected publication: March 17th 2017 by Widdershins Press LLC
ASINB06X942Q64
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series SPECTR:

An Alisa Review: Falling Hard: Stories of Men in Love by Dale Cameron Lowry

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

 

Nine of Dale Cameron Lowry’s best short romance stories, available for the first time in one book.

Part 1: Falling Fast
Warm up with whirlwind romances that last.

Mi Alma — Ex-Mormon Alma Larsen doesn’t know the first thing about alcohol, so he hires bartender Damian Banks to help out at his winter holiday party. They build a friendship that simmers with sexual tension—and possibly something much deeper. Will this Christmas bring them both a love that lasts?
Loggerhead — Soon after they fall in love, Jake makes Eric a promise inspired by an old track uniform. But demanding work schedules at Jake’s four-star restaurant and Eric’s newspaper keep them from following through. Six years later, they take the honeymoon they never had, heading to the Florida coast in search of sea turtles—and rekindling their passion for each other in the process.
Reading the Signs — The only thing twenty-three-year-old Theo De Jong expects when he enrolls in a summer school for linguists in New Mexico is to get more ideas for his master’s thesis in Dutch Sign Language. But then he meets the American sign language expert Alfonso Grossman, and sparks fly.

Part 2: Falling Fantastically
Because reality is overrated, these stories have elements of the fantastical.

Born of Fire — The fairies on Ireland’s north coast are notorious for kidnapping, and Aodhán of County Donegal has the scars to prove it. When the fairies abduct the handsome youth Cainnech, Aodhán seeks to free him—but risks losing his health and Cainnech in the process.
Ghost of a Chance — When shy Jeremy Anderson meets mysterious and dapper Frank at his spooky old university library, their connection is instant. Their romance waxes with the full moon—but just as quickly, Frank’s interest seems to wane. He insists that he loves spending time with Jeremy, but then why does he keep Jeremy at arm’s length?
Far From Home — Rajiv met and fell in love with his husband, Mateo, when they were both members of the scientific team responsible for transforming Mars into a home suitable for humans. But years into their shared mission, Rajiv is ordered back to Earth to restore the barren lands of the American Midwest. With a little help from technology, the two men find innovative ways to nurture their long-distance relationship while they wait to reunite.
Sweeter Than Blood — Keith was a vegan before a hot encounter with a stranger turned him into a vampire. In the year since, his sire, John, has tried to make up for the mistake by teaching Keith everything he knows about being a non-murderous bloodsucker. But temptation is strong in the form of Andres, a regular customer at the barbershop where Keith works. When Andres finally asks Keith on a date, the real danger begins.

Part 3: Falling Deep
The deeper the love, the hotter the intimacy.

Rough Love — Blake thinks new boyfriend Michael doesn’t like French kissing. Michael thinks Blake doesn’t like rough sex. Neither are virgins, except in the art of conversation. Can they set things straight before the honeymoon’s over?
Pacific Rimming — On Mike’s fortieth birthday, his husband, Ken, takes him on vacation to Vancouver Island in Western Canada to celebrate. While Mike mourns his loss of youth, Ken encourages him to recapture it by bedding a gorgeous twenty-something man they encounter while hiking in Pacific Rim National Park. A night of no-holds-barred passion among the three men reveals a sizzling chemistry, and when Mike and Ken return home they find themselves longing to reconnect with the young Jason. Can what started as a one-night stand transform into a threesome that lasts?

 

This is a great collection of stories.  The men are all looking for love or are enjoying the love they already have which was a nice variety.  They all ended great but took a bunch of different ways to get there, just like in real life.  Most of the stories are only told from one character’s point of view, but the author does a wonderful job of showing the other characters emotions and feelings through their eyes.

 

In Mi Alma Damian and Alma aren’t quite sure how to approach the other with their growing feelings but their tension works wonderfully in building their friendship, I thought both of these characters played well off each other.  In Loggerhead Jake and Eric show that it is easy to put yourselves and your relationship on the back burner a bit, but I loved seeing them make their relationship even stronger during their trip.  Theo and Alfonso begin a wonderful friendship at the beginning of Reading the Signs and keep it going via skype when their course is over for the summer and seeing Theo learn what love really is, even at a distance, is great.

 

Born of Fire was an interesting concept; Aodhán becomes abducted by fairies and realizes this and how much Cainnech could mean to him if they were free, but they have to support each other once they are free from the fairies.  Ghost of a Chance was one of the sweetest stories in this collection; Jeremy and Frank build a great friendship that turns into a strong relationship even though they are somewhat separated on the physical plane, but their love is what can keep Frank solidly in Jeremy’s life.  Rajiv and Mateo miss each other so much in Far From Home, but have figured out the next best thing to having the other with them.  In Sweeter than Blood Keith has not been very welcoming to the vampire lifestyle and when he finally takes a chance on Andres he realizes that maybe John is the one he needs.

 

In Rough Love Blake and Michael are trying to start their relationship off well, but don’t know how to talk to each other.  When they finally do we can see what they have been holding back and how much more perfect they are for each other.  Pacific Rimming show how there is always room in people hearts for more people to love if they want and Ken and Mike know that if they give it a chance Jason could easily fit into their lives.  Seeing Jason realize that he can have the love he has wanted is wonderful.

 

Cover art by Dale Cameron Lowry is great and eye catching.

 

Sales Links: Terrestrial Press | Amazon | Books2Read

 

Book Details:

ebook, 233 pages

Published: February 20, 2017 by Terrestrial Press

ISBN: 9781508058670

Edition Language: English

Love Never Dies in ‘Sons of Devils (Arising #1)’ by Alex Beecroft (giveaway)

Sons of Devils (Arising #1) by Alex Beecroft
Riptide Publishing

Cover by: Simoné

Available for Purchase/Read an Excerpt at

Riptide Publishing

 

About Sons of Devils

British scholar Frank Carew is in Wallachia to study the magic generator on nobleman Radu Vacarescu’s land. There, his party is attacked by bandits and his friends are killed. Pursued by a vampiric figure, he flees to Radu’s castle for help.

Unfortunately, this is precisely where the vampires came from. If allowed, they would feed unchecked and spread their undeath across the whole Earth, but Radu maintains a shaky control over them and keeps them penned in his tiny corner of the country.

As Frank recovers from his assault, Radu finds himself falling for the young man. But loving Frank and not wanting to lose him leaves Radu vulnerable to his demons’ demands. Can he bear to let them feed on the man he loves? Or must he give in to their blackmail and set them free to feast on his entire country?

Now available at Riptide. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/sons-of-devils

About Alex Beecroft

Alex Beecroft is an English author best known for historical fiction, notably Age of Sail, featuring gay characters and romantic storylines. Her novels and shorter works include paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Beecroft won Linden Bay Romance’s (now Samhain Publishing) Starlight Writing Competition in 2007 with her first novel, Captain’s Surrender, making it her first published book. On the subject of writing gay romance, Beecroft has appeared in the Charleston City Paper, LA Weekly, the New Haven Advocate, the Baltimore City Paper, and The Other Paper. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association of the UK and an occasional reviewer for the blog Speak Its Name, which highlights historical gay fiction.

Alex was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the English Peak District. She lives with her husband and two children in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist.

Alex is only intermittently present in the real world. She has led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800-year-old form of English folk dance, but she still hasn’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

She is represented by Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Literary Agency.

Connect with Alex:

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Sons of Devils, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and one ebook from Alex Beecroft’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 18, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

An Alisa Review: Fangs Like Me by Lyssa Dering

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

 

Lane, a newborn vampire, still feels the pain of betrayal. Two years ago, a faithless boyfriend took his life, and now, Lane’s Maker has also left him behind. The pain of separation burns strong when all Lane wants are arms to hold him and enough warm blood to satisfy his voracious appetite. At a shifter party, Lane is drawn to a hunky Alpha werewolf who tries to console him.

 

Parker is more than a thoughtless hookup. Since his family disowned him for finding boys just as hot as girls, all he wants is someone to love and look after. The sweet little vamp calls to his protective instincts, but he sure is jumpy. Cuddling with boys is new and delicious, but when this boy also wants him as a food source, things get complicated.

 

Vampires and shifters aren’t supposed to get along, and Parker’s rough dominance triggers bad memories for Lane. But Parker’s wolf wants Lane, and he knows he can give Lane what he needs. Can Lane learn to navigate his past and give the thing growing between them a chance? Or will the very real possibilities of heartache, abandonment, and even death, keep them apart?

 

This was a very enjoyable book, it sounded interesting, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Lane was traumatized when his boyfriend took his life and then was saved by being made into a vampire.  Life hasn’t been easy for him since and he has had a hard time fitting into the vampire world and only really had one friend outside his den.

 

I couldn’t help but feel for Lane, he feels like an outsider in his home and doesn’t really have anyone to turn to.  He jumps at the opportunity to be with and protected by Parker, but is worried his fear of fangs and being bitten will cause problems between them.

 

Both of the characters have been hurt by those close to them and are trying to navigate new worlds when they meet.  Parker has wanted someone to take care of and love while being loved in return and can’t help but hope that maybe Lane is his chance.  We see both of these characters’ struggles and feelings throughout the story, both being willing to risk so much for the other.  I loved seeing their interactions and how much they really cared for the other.

 

Cover art by Natasha Snow is nice and gives great visuals of the characters.

 

Sales Links: Nine Star Press | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 120 pages

Published: March 13, 2017 by Nine Star Press

ISBN: 9781945952722

Edition Language: English

 

Release Tour – Lyssa Dering’s fangjunkie27 (giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 
 
Blurb

One human. One dhampir. Seventy-two hours where anything goes.

Shameless vampire addict Eli spends every waking moment chasing pleasure, securing invites to vampire den after vampire den via the vampire/human social network FangFinder. This weekend, he’s signed up for his most extreme adventure yet, a 72-hour party where a legal contract serves as his voluntary consent to anything and everything the den members decide to do to him…

Strong and silent type Orion is the only member of his den without fangs, a dhampir who wears metal points on two fingers so he can give the human guests what they crave. What he craves is a release for the savage half of his nature; he wants to force a human into submission. When his fellow den members inform him that Eli has signed up for just this treatment, Orion lays claim to him for the weekend.

But Eli would never have agreed to spend three days with a half-breed, and he’ll fight Orion’s touch every chance he gets. Even if the pleasure he finds in the dhampir’s grip is more intense than anything he’s ever felt with a vampire…

February 2 – Joyfully Jay
February 6 – Abbey’s 1-Click Blog
February 10 – Dog-Eared Daydreams, Abibliophobia Anonymous Book Reviews
February 13 – Divine Magazine
February 15 – Making It Happen, MM Good Book Reviews
February 17 – Millsy Loves Books, Wicked Reads
February 21 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Book Lovers 4Ever
February 22 – Alpha Book Club, From Top To Bottom Reviews

Author Bio

Lyssa Dering is an author of queer erotic romance. She writes about damaged characters in impossible situations who, despite often horrifying struggles, will always get their happy ending.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lyssaderingGoodreads: http://goodreads.com/lyssaderingPinterest: http://pinterest.com/lyssadering

 Giveaway

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A MelanieM Review: fangjunkie27 (FangFinder #1) by Lyssa Dering

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

fangjunkie27-fangfinder-1-by-lyssa-deringOne human. One dhampir. Seventy-two hours where anything goes.

Shameless vampire addict Eli spends every waking moment chasing pleasure, securing invites to vampire den after vampire den via the vampire/human social network FangFinder. This weekend, he’s signed up for his most extreme adventure yet, a 72-hour party where a legal contract serves as his voluntary consent to anything and everything the den members decide to do to him…

Strong and silent type Orion is the only member of his den without fangs, a dhampir who wears metal points on two fingers so he can give the human guests what they crave. What he craves is a release for the savage half of his nature; he wants to force a human into submission. When his fellow den members inform him that Eli has signed up for just this treatment, Orion lays claim to him for the weekend.

But Eli would never have agreed to spend three days with a half-breed, and he’ll fight Orion’s touch every chance he gets. Even if the pleasure he finds in the dhampir’s grip is more intense than anything he’s ever felt with a vampire…

fangjunkie27 (FangFinder #1) by Lyssa Dering is a  dark, violent short tale of 72 hours in a junkie’s life.  Instead of drugs or alcohol, Eli is chasing the high he felt from his first vampire bite and there’s nothing he won’t do or hasn’t done to get it.  He’s an addict in every way, including the sometime denial, the back history that helps with an addictive nature and the worst of an addictive’s personality.  On top of that?  Eli is somewhat masochistic (he wavers on this), likes being forced, is prejudiced towards dhampirs, in his words…he’s a “mess, a suicidal mess”.

Orion is unusual in this sort of fiction.  He’s a dhampir that is fangless (his solution to that is neat but one I’ve seen before), mortal and angry about that.  That last bit is  quite understandable. Yes, he gets called names under the guise of being “one of the gang”, yes, he’s looked down on for those characteristics by Eli who wants a ‘true vampire’.  Let the beatings and non-con sex ensue. I said it was  dark and violent.  Orion truly doesn’t have that much more going for him at least outside of the job at the den.  All he seems to have is this “den”, no other outside income or place of his own. So in a way he’s as dependent as Eli because of his less than desired stature.

There is a  redeeming factor to Orion.  He wants to give the people who come to him what they want.  Part of the game for him is figuring that out.  Eli is more puzzling than normal and that makes Orion even angrier.  Yes, more beatings and angry sex.

To give Dering some credit, its not quite as basic as that.  There’s some layering going on to both characters which is why this story got 3 stars.  But in the end you’re spending the weekend with a masochistic junkie and the angry, insecure somewhat sadistic Dom in charge of him. Look at that sentence and think hard about that. There’s an unlikely ending tacked on here probably to give reason for a second story but instead it just makes you wonder why this vampire den isn’t charging for this “cure’ for addiction.  To me this just felt unfinished, not enough payment for having to stay with Eli for 72 tortuous hours.  I’m stopping now before I rethink that 3 star rating.

For those of you who enjoy dark fiction, erotica, BDSM without restraints (no restraints here-that’s part of the contract at the den), a dhampir with quirks and fangs of his own and an blood addict on a downward spiral, this book is for you.

Cover art is dark which is certainly suitable for this story.

Sales Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Book Details:

 

Kindle Edition, 81 pages
Published February 2nd 2017 by Disobedient Publications, LLC
ASINB01N0WXHMR
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesFangFinder #1