Category: Vampires

A Paul B Review: Branding An Icy Heart (Wolves of Stone Ridge #32) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Branding An Icy HeartWhen a self described homophobic asshole vampire meets his beloved, a man who is still recovering from a gay bashing a couple of years ago, can the men work through their pasts to get to their happily ever after?

Aleksei Kuznetsov decided to stay in Europe instead of following his family’s coven when they moved to America.  It was bad enough when his brother Tullion found his beloved in a male.  But his older brother and coven leader Borscht then found his beloved in the form of a male fruit bat shifter.  Missing his family/coven, he decides that a trip stateside was in order.  Having come so far, Aleksei begins to leave the bar to see his family when a man using a cane enters the bar.  He is alarmed when he recognizes that this man might actually be his beloved.

Remy Smithson is out with his friends.  After attending the trial that put the man who beat him to within an inch of his death, they decide to commemorate the guilty verdict.  However, his leg that was severely smashed in the incident is acting up on him.  So, he decides to get away from the dance floor and go to a local pub.  A strange man with a foreign accent chats him up while he is sitting at the bar.  Remy explains that he is in pain due to a gay bashing incident a couple of years back and that he and is friends were out celebrating the end of the basher’s trail and guilty verdict.  When this handsome stranger finds this out, it appears that the stranger cannot leave fast enough.  When Remy relays what has happened at the bar, they suggest that they could set him up with one of Tullion’s single brothers.   So they arrange a party to do just that.

At the party, Remy is introduced to Vadim, one of the Kuznetsov brothers.  They seem to be hitting it off when Aleksei comes over and informs them that he believes that Remy is his beloved.  Remy does not know how to react finding out that he is the fated mate of a man who has shown homophobic tendencies in the short time he has know Aleksei. Aleksei must wrap his head around that just like Borscht and Tullion, his mate is male.  To complicate matters further, Remy has been receiving harassing letters saying that next time he will die.  Can both men move beyond their pasts to prevent Remy from being hurt again?

In this thirty-second book in the Wolves of Stone Ridge series, Ms. Richards brings some history in the series back to the present.  The bashing that is referenced in this book actually occurred twenty books ago in this series.  I have always enjoyed the author’s ability to bring in new characters to this series and tie then to others that have been mention maybe two or three years previously.  It is another enjoyable story in the series.

The cover art by Angel Waters depicts our vampire Aleksei standing in front of a forest filled with fall foliage.  It is a good solid cover for an autumn book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books  |Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details

EBook 108 pages

Published November 15, 2015 by eXtasy Books

ISBN:  978-1-4874-0552-6

Edition Language:  English

Series:  Wolves of Stone Ridge

https://www.goodreads.com/series/63445-wolves-of-stone-ridge

A MelanieM Review: The Devil’s Due (Pulp Friction 2015 Book 19) by Parker Williams

Rating:  5 stars out of 5   ★★★★★

The Devil's Due coverArtie Middleton and Ben Nelson have faced everything thrown at them and come out stronger individually and as a couple.

They’ve lost friends, and learned the painful lesson that nothing good comes without a price. Now, Artie’s unwitting part in an insane plan to destroy all supernatural beings has pulled him front and center into a battle for survival.

When Ben becomes a pawn in the scheme, Artie must decide what he’s willing to risk to protect his family. It’s a question that must be asked when the devil finally demands his due.

Four books have seen Artie Middleton and Ben Nelson come together in love and devastating loss, find a new family in a strange group of supernatural friends, along with their human families that remain alive.  Now everything they have, their love, their lives, everyone’s future has been threatened and they must destroy it once and for all.  Now we find out how high the cost will be.

Parker Williams has the ability to wring the emotions out of a reader by the end of a story.  It didn’t matter that the last one, High Stakes, was only 40-some odd pages, I felt limp as a dishrag from all the sobbing and loss.  This story makes it all worthwhile.  This is the grand finale and Williams makes all the heartbreak, all the angst that has gone before not only palatable but, I can’t believe I’m saying this, meaningful and right.

Wonderful, absorbing plots need equally great characters and here we have a marriage of both.  Williams has developed the characters of Artie and Ben over four books, giving each man more interesting layers and depth to him, letting the readers watch them grow together and sort of grow up as the relationship developed.  We committed to them as they committed to each other. And that made the danger and pain that happens to them far more real and heartbreaking.

Terrific characterizations extend past the main couple to stellar secondary ones such as Tempeste and even a flatulent ghost dog who hogs the bed.  There are so many here to give your heart to, including a new one at the end of the story.

No details (as much as I would love to reveal them), that wouldn’t be fair.  But the author sets Ben and Artie on the road to finally confront the demon behind all the fiendish events and deaths that have been happening all over New Orleans.  But nothing goes as planned.  With all their friends involved, strategies are hurriedly devised, and moment by moment the suspense and absolute horror is ramped up until you are sure all is to be lost…

I was tucked into my bed with the popcorn, and dogs, and yes, glass of wine and didn’t touch any of it until the book was done. What a thrilling ride of a story!  Yes, the devil got his due and then some.

And then there was that ending. How I loved this story and series.  Artie and Ben, and yes Tempeste too.  They stole my heart.  Pick up this series and let them steal yours too.

Need a new addiction?  Grab up Parker Williams’ Four of Club series (Pulp Friction 2015).  Read them all at once in one major binge read or one at a time, either way, you will find yourself hooked.  I highly recommend this book and series. Happy Reading.

Cover art is lovely and perfect for the story.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 66 pages
Published November 13th 2015
ASINB017ZBD120
edition languageEnglish

 

About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.

Round One:
Drawing Dead ~ Blind Stud ~ The Devil’s Bedpost ~ Diamonds and Dust

Round Two:
Dead Blind ~ Stud Player ~ Up the Ante ~ Diamond Draw

Round Three:
Dead Button ~ Blind Man’s Bluff ~ Devil’s Playground ~ Diamond Edge

Round Four:
Dead Man’s Hand ~ Blind Hearts ~ High Stakes ~ Diamond Flush

Round Five:
Dead Money ~ Under the Gun ~ Devil’s Due ~ Diamonds Down and Dirty

A Paul B Review: Curling Up With His Critter (A Loving Nip #7) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Curling Up With His Critters coverGypsum Vereen , second of the Amarillo coven of vampires, is tasked to transporting a group of Angus cattle shifters to their new lodgings.,  They are headed toward a diverse pack filled with displaced and abused shifters who are trying to assimilate to a world without abusive alphas and pack members.  When they arrive on pack land, Gypsum is invited to lunch

Lucius and his half brothers have been staying at the pack for rehabilitating shifters since their rescue from their former alpha.  Kept as sexual slaves in cages, they are just now getting around to a normal life.  However, the damage done psychologically is still being healed.  After coming home from a pack run, Lucius goes through the dining room to get to the staircase leading to his room.  He notices the tall blond stranger who smells incredibly good to him.  When this man, who turns out to be Gypsum the vampire, informs Lucius that he is Gypsum’s beloved, Lucius goes into a panic as claiming a mate involves sex, which he has sworn off.

Gypsum must go about wooing his beloved.  First Gypsum must convince Lucius that the sex between them will be nothing like the past sexual abuse he suffered from his previous pack.  He must also explain to Lucius that a vampire needs his beloved to survive.  The next obstacle would be convincing Lucius that the vampire master (the vampire’s alpha equivalent) is nothing like his former alpha.  And knowing how close the brothers are, he has to show Lucius that the brothers will come with them back to his coven.  Just as things begin to go Gypsum’s way, the former leaders of the Angus cattle pack escape and head toward the rescue shifter pack.  Will they interfere with this new mating?

I enjoyed this seventh book in the Loving Nip series.  Lucius and his brothers have been beaten down for most of their lives.  The three have relied on each other in order to survive their ordeal.  I could understand Lucius’ reluctance to mate given all that he has been through.  I was glad to see that Gypsum took his time (at least in shifter mating terms) to convince Lucius that mates are nothing like what was done to him.  Seeing Lucius protect his packs brought home the fact that this man is a survivor.

The cover art by Carmen Waters depicts the blond Gypsum standing in front of a bonfire.  It is a serviceable cover for the story.

Sales Links:  eXtasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

ebook, 85 pages
Published November 1st 2015 by Extasy Books
ISBN139781487405502
edition languageEnglish

Series:  A Loving Nip

A Nip of Good Cheer (A Loving Nip #1)

A Rose for Paul’s Protector (A Loving Nip #2)

An Unforgettable Bite (A Loving Nip #3)

More than Patient (A Loving Nip #4)

Sharing a Demon’s Blood (A Loving Nip #5)

Not a Line of Bull (A Loving Nip #6)

Curling Up with His Critter (A Loving Nip #7)

A MelanieM Review: Under the Gun: King of Hearts Five by Havan Fellows (Pulp Friction 2015: Altered States Book 18)

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Under the Gun coverIn a world where supernatural creatures openly exist, who can blame them for coalescing in one of the most fascinating and erotic places on earth? Welcome to New Orleans.

A sex demon no longer interested in feeding just for the necessity of it.

Laurant is secure enough in his demonhood to admit to the few flaws he has, such as mouthing off to the wrong people and ignoring warnings from his dear old dad…but he isn’t quite ready to fess-up to his latest self-revelation. He doesn’t want to feed from any other person or supernatural but the mystery man who is no longer a mystery. Unfortunately, it seems there are other people who want Gun for themselves, and Laurant might not be strong enough to keep him.

They say you can never go home…what they didn’t mention was that trying might be the death of you…

Gun finally knows who and what he is…now he needs to find out why. He’s been commuting between New Orleans and his hometown in Maine for the past couple of months in search of answers, and all he’s found out is that half the population is afraid of him and the other half wants him dead. He longs for the simpler times in life when all he had to worry about was beating off an incubus’s advances and who had the king of hearts to complete his flush. Now he’s fighting against human police and supernatural creatures alike…and the winner takes all.

Gun needs to come to terms with who he was to figure out who he is. Laurant needs to decide if he will stand beside whichever Gun prevails.

May the real Gun please stand up.

Under the Gun by Havan Fellows gives the mysterious Gun and the irrepressible Laurant the answers they have been searching for from the moment they met in a story that’s full of surprises and just as many heart-felt moments.  Book five is always the deciding story.  How is it all going to shake out for our heroes?  Are they going to get their HEA?  And in this series who is going to feel the pain, feel the blood run?

Gun with his stolen memories and Laurant with his longing hidden behind his sexy walls are perfect for each other.  But there are enemies, unknown and familiar to contend with as well as their own fears before any sort of happiness is to be had.

Havan Fellows has made us care for these two powerful and widely disparate characters, especially Laurant,  I have such a wide space in my heart for Laurant, for all his age, power, and bravado, there is a courage to him and loyalty to his character that shines through every scene.  Laurant glows on the page and how he would enjoy that were he real.   Gun too has grown through each story until his strength is more than a match for Laurant’s  power, and not just magically speaking. Intellectually as well as passionately, Laurant and Gun are perfection and nothing demonstrates that better than this story.

Under the Gun has no one fine moment, it has a multitude of them.  From the heat of the bedroom (or wherever Gun and Laurant happen to be) to the sheer terror of the final showdown, Fellow’s descriptions  pull us into the actions and emotions of the immediate scenes.  I had no idea who had survived, or who was lost and I was heartbroken…until I turned the page.  I was there so throughly invested with this couple and their relationship that the story was over before I could  blink.  And then because I loved it so I started over reading it again.

If you’ve been following this series, be prepared for a treat.  Its sexy, its scary, and its a slam bang of a fine ride.  Don’t miss out on a word of it.  I highly recommend it and all of the previous stories.  Grab it up today.

Love the cover.  Great job.

Sales Link:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 31st 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781941841372

Pulp Friction 2015

Welcome to the Pulp Friction world…though you can certainly read the King of Hearts series by itself, the other three series greatly enriches your reading enjoyment. But beware, the supernaturals in our world want to show you much more than just a good time…

About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.

Round One:
Drawing Dead ~ Blind Stud ~ The Devil’s Bedpost ~ Diamonds and Dust

Round Two:
Dead Blind ~ Stud Player ~ Up the Ante ~ Diamond Draw

Round Three:
Dead Button ~ Blind Man’s Bluff ~ Devil’s Playground ~ Diamond Edge

Round Four:
Dead Man’s Hand ~ Blind Hearts ~ High Stakes ~ Diamond Flush

Round Five:
Dead Money ~ Under the Gun ~ Devil’s Due ~ Diamonds Down and Dirty

Supernatural Spotlight: Lisa Oliver ‘Watching Out For Fangs (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

actual cover copy

Watching Out For Fangs (Cloverleah #7) by Lisa Oliver 
Release Date: October 17, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Oliver Group Publications
Cover Artist: Lisa Oliver

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Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Lisa Oliver, author of book 7 in the Cloverleah Pack, Watching Out For Fangs. Hi Lisa, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hello and thank you for hosting me here today. Some of your readers may know my books already – this is my 17th one. All of my books are M/M paranormal books – shifters, vampires and so much more to come. In this book, Josh, who is a newcomer to Cloverleah meets Vadim, his true mate. Unfortunately he is unconscious at the time, and Vadim heads home to Atlanta, convinced he doesn’t have what it takes to be a good mate. Of course, being one of my books, the men don’t stay apart for long thanks to a couple of interfering Fae, and that’s a good thing too, as the men of Cloverleah are under threat again – this time from a coven and a pack. It can be read as standalone.

  • Favorite thing about building your own world?

I get to make the rules! I have five different series going at the moment and while there are some rules that apply to all of them – no cheating, no cliff hangers and an HEA – there are subtle differences between all of the different “worlds” that I get to choose.  I’m a control freak and the first to admit it.

  • What inspired you to write your first book?

I’m going to qualify that with first “fiction” book as I have written non-fiction in the past as well.  I had always thought I couldn’t write fiction as dialogue was a real problem for me. Once I got older I decided I could do whatever I wanted to do, and things kinda snowballed from there.

  • Do you have a specific writing style?

I write the same way as I talk – so my books are my way of telling you a story. All of my books so far have been from a duel POV, although after getting told in my first book that I had blurred the lines a bit with that, I now make specific section breaks to show clearly who is thinking what and why.

  • Who are some of the authors that influenced you to write?

My favorite author list is huge – no kidding. I couldn’t pinpoint just one but I love stories in all forms, and just a few of my favorites include Sandrine Gasq Dion and Charlie Richards. I used to think I wanted to write just like them, but I have since learned there is a place for my style of books as well. But I still read everything they put out.

  • What are some jobs you’ve held? Have any of them impacted your writing? How?

I have had a varied career path.  I’ve worked in lawyer’s offices, in accounts, a hotel receptionist and a newspaper office.  But on the other side of the coin I have also been a full time bartender, a waitress (which I hated) and a taxi driver. I don’t think it is any specific job that impacts my writing, but more my belief that you can do anything you set your mind too and hopefully that comes through in my work.

Thanks, Lisa, for the wonderful interview.  Now lets take a closer look at Watching Out for Fangs.

RC

Blurb

Josh moved from the huge San Antonio pack to join the men at Cloverleah looking for a bit more adventure, and the chance to meet his mate. He’s quick to adapt to the much smaller pack, and even his status as one of the few beta wolves in a group full of Alphas. A chance visit from the Atlanta coven has him meeting the man he was waiting for. It was just a damn shame he was unconscious at the time.

Vadim D’Arcy should be the Regent of the Atlanta coven, but he gave up his position years before when a personal tragedy had him hiding away in his huge mansion. Forced into a situation where he had to escort a cursed vampire to Cloverleah, he realizes pretty quickly that Josh is his true match. The only problem is, he doesn’t want one.

However threats on the pack, and two interfering Fae soon nudge the two men back together. Fighting other wolves, and even vampires is becoming commonplace for the Cloverleah pack. But a dark magic user just might have the last laugh. Can Vadim fight his personal demons long enough to keep his mate safe, and will Josh be there for him when he does? Or will a combined attack from the coven and the pack in Atlanta bring the entire Cloverleah pack to its knees?

Warnings: This is an m/m erotic romance featuring a sweet but staunch beta wolf, an old as sin vampire and all your other favorites from Cloverleah. HEA and no cliff hangers guaranteed.

 

Excerpt

“Everett was known as your favorite, yet you have set him free, compelled him to leave you and never return. You have met your true match, my son.” Not a question, but a statement of fact. Vadim opened his eyes, knowing he could never lie directly to his mother. He nodded instead, as his brain once again focused on Josh. What would the young wolf be feeling, knowing that Vadim had bonded with him without permission and then rejected him as a mate? Maybe some of the pain he was feeling was coming from his mate, even if they were separated by miles. That idea didn’t make him feel any better.

“The wolf you healed?” This time his persistent mother was asking a question so Vadim nodded again.

“And you didn’t think to stay and protect him?”

Letting out a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, Vadim said slowly, “I came here to protect him, from this coven and the Atlanta pack.”

“That didn’t work out too well for you now, did it?” Eloise had a small smile on her face as though a lot happier now she knew the reason behind the loss of Vadim’s fabled control. “What are you going to do?”

Vadim would have shrugged but that was a little hard to do with his arms strung up, so he was forced to speak instead. “Wait out my punishment. If I am released in time I will go home and sort out my affairs. Either way I anticipate it will all be over for me in six weeks as I haven’t fed for a while.”

In a strong flowing movement Eloise stood up, gliding over to where Vadim was chained, her gown settling around her feet in a soft mist. The finery of the pale blue looked incongruous against the dirty concrete floor.

“You would die rather than accept your true match? Why would you do such a cruel thing to your wolf? Is he that disfigured from the attack on him that you cannot look past it?” Vadim realized his mother was not only shocked, she was hurt as well, and damn it all, Vadim didn’t like it when the lovely woman was upset. So he answered as honestly as he knew how.

“Josh is beautiful, mother,” Vadim assured her softly, remembering all too well the lovely features of his mate’s face. They would be scorched in his brain until he took his last breath. “He is a loyal fighter, a beta wolf, with tanned skin and light hair that glows like a halo in the sun. There is nothing wrong with him at all.”

“Then why?” Easily asked, harder to answer.

“Because I made a promise, mother, surely you can understand.” Vadim’s voice hardened. “My true match, my mate, he’s a wolf and he deserves to be loved with an open heart. To be held and cared for, to be protected and cherished in the way of a wolf, not bonded forever to a vampire with no heart.”

Pages or Words: 270 pages/91,497 words
 Categories: Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

 

Buy the book:  Amazon |All Romance eBooks | Smash Words

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Meet the Author

Lisa Oliver had been writing non-fiction books for years when visions of half dressed, buff men started invading her dreams. Unable to resist the lure of her stories, Lisa decided to switch to fiction books, and now stories about her men clamor to get out from under her fingertips.

When Lisa is not writing, she is usually reading with a cup of tea always at hand. Her grown children and grandchildren sometimes try and pry her away from the computer and have found that the best way to do it, is to promise her chocolate. Lisa will do anything for chocolate.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers and other writers. You can friend her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/lisaoliverauthor), catch up on what’s happening at her blog (http://www.supernaturalsmut.com) or email her directly at yoursintuitively@gmail.com.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

2-Nov: BFD Book Blog, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

3-Nov: MM Good Book Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews

4-Nov: Havan Fellows, Mikky’s World of Books

5-Nov: Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Happily Ever Chapter

6-Nov: Just Love Romance, Love Bytes, Bonkers About Books

9-Nov: Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Inked Rainbow Reads, Hearts on Fire

10-Nov: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

11-Nov: Open Skye Book Reviews, Jessie G. Books

12-Nov: Divine Magazine, Alpha Book Club

13-Nov: 3 Chicks After Dark, Bayou Book Junkie, Parker Williams

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 3 print copies of ‘Watching Out For Fangs’ by Lisa Oliver (3 winners).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

 

 

 

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