Category: Less Than Three Press

A MelanieM Review: Love Tokens by Megan Derr

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

love-tokens-by-megan-derrChanda is the Lord of Honey Flower House, which caters to those who have a taste for the paranormal between the sheets. Being an incubus makes him all the better at the job, even if it also leaves him lonely.

Then a demon appears on his doorstep in search of a missing person, and Chanda is quickly reminded why he prefers the relatively quiet life as master of a pleasure house—but also reminds him of a bitter past he’s tried to leave behind, and dreams he gave up on a long time ago.

 

Really, its Megan Derr and her ability to whisk me away to whatever world she has created that keeps me coming back again and again to her wildly imaginative stories and tales of wonder.  Love Tokens, a fantasy novella, is no different.  Chanda is an old succubus and the owner/proprietor of the Honey Flower House which is basically a paranormal whore house for upscale clients with unusual tastes.   Chanda has his own painful past and that clashes with  the demon sent to his place of business on the hunt for a  missing person.

Derr quickly pulls us into this world with descriptions of the Honey Flower House, from the employees to its patrons right up to the owner itself.  Then Azar makes a disconcerting entrance and the emotional explosions start to go off for them both.  I liked that Azar is a demon that displays demon behavior.  He’s not about to throw rose petals at  Chanda.  He’s all demon and his actions are in accordance with that.  Perfect. Chanda’s a succubus and  the same goes for him as well.  Derr keeps her characters well within a certain behavioral spectrum which I appreciated because it made their relationship work on so many levels – emotional, intellectual, giving this story a wonderful foundation to it.

Yes, I believed in both characters and their romance.

My only bother was that I wish I knew more about the couple at the heart of the “missing man”.  They sort of deserve their own story, don’t you  think?  I would love to know how that whole thing came about…hmmm, maybe a Love Tokens sequel is called for with a return appearance by Chanda and Azar.

At forty pages, this could easily be double that  and never wear out its  potential to be more.  I loved it.   If you are a lover of Derr, fantasy or both, this one’s for you.

Cover art by Natasha Snow Designs.  Guy is hot but the cover could be for any book honestly.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, Second edition, 40 pages
Published February 22nd 2017 by Less Than Three Press (first published October 30th 2012)
ISBN13 9781620049372
Edition Language English

A MelanieM Review: The Case of the Wandering Wolves (Trickster’s Eye #1) by Mell Eight

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

the-case-of-the-wandering-wolvesSix years ago Latrans found his mate—and had to let him go. Now York has returned pleading for Latrans’ help. His daughter has been kidnapped and Latrans is the only person York trusts to get her back. But a simple matter of rescue proves to be far more complicated than anticipated, and even having his mate at his side may not be enough to win the day.

I dive right into every Mell Eight book with enthusiasm and a certain amount of expectation on what I’m going to find in her stories.  Her imagination almost certainly provides me with something new to think about, great characters and a wildly entertaining story.  However, The Case of the Wandering Wolves (Trickster’s Eye #1) by Mell Eight did provide some a couple of elements I liked, it mostly had me scratching my head in disappointment.  Why?  Because there are huge holes in the narrative here and in the thinking of the characters and plot.

It all revolves around the mate bond and what happens when that occurs.  Unfortunately here, the mate bonding is between were and human, twice over.    In the first pairing… Latrans and York, Latrans first pushes his attraction/need for his mate unto the human with disastrous results.  It didn’t help that York is closeted, only has the slightest leanings or interest in men (he might be bisexual, a path not investigated here). But Latrans does eventually leave his mate alone, knowing that as a human, York cannot feel the same as he does.  Realistic, and  totally abandoned when another were/human pair appears later in the story.

That human is expected to adjust to the fact that they are a part of a bonded pair, a fact that shocked me given the factors surrounding that pair’s history. (Spoilers) .  Its even more unbelievable given York’s stilted little speech about forgiving Latrans’ stalking bonding behavior etc. at the end of the tale.  One, where did that language come from?  A therapist? A brochure? It didn’t sound like anything the man had said previously in any of his conversations, so it was jarring. Secondly, the child and her welfare.  Let’s just say, that got a little mixed up here as well.  At least in my opinion.

There is a mystery.  Two actually.  One gets solved fairly quickly.  The other?  Well the villain is not really never in doubt.  The ending is a HFN and this story a set up for a series that seems to revolve around the detective agency that Latrans runs with his friend called The Trickster’s Eye (Latrans is a were coyote). I will mostly likely pick up the second book to see what happens.  It can only get better.

Cover art is so so.  It could also be so much better.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published January 11th 2017 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620049358
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesTrickster’s Eye #1

A MelanieM Review: The Prince of the Moon by Megan Derr

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

a-melaniem-review-the-prince-of-the-moon-by-megan-derrAll Solae wants is to be accepted and loved by the family that has always rejected him. But given it was his late mother who cursed the kingdom to eternal winter, the chances of that happening are minimal. If he can find a way to break the curse, however, surely that would be enough to change their minds regarding him.

But Solae is forbidden to practice magic because of his mother, which limits his ability to pursue solutions. Desperate for advice and new ideas, he contacts a famous curse breaker—and has no idea what to do when the unexpectedly shows up, handsome and friendly and dangerously intriguing.

Megan Derr give us another M/M fairy tale in The Prince of the Moon.  Here its a frozen prince in a cursed kingdom.  The one that turned the kingdom into ice?  His mother burned for witchcraft and for being a false second Queen.  Solae is the cursed son of the witch, he’s the son the golden King wants to forget as he has his golden sons from his beloved first Queen.

The setting is ripe for love.  The lonely, gorgeous prince in his tower and the mysterious stranger who comes to town to break the evil curse.

Of course, nothing is ever quite so simple in a Megan Derr story.  There’s the curse itself and its interpretation.  Derr has a lovely twist in store for her readers here.  I wanted more on Solae’s mother’s history, of course.  She’s an intriguing character even by the hole she makes in the story and Solae’s life.  I wanted to know more about such a powerful figure.  There the interaction between Solae and Millio which  feels so natural despite being rushed.  There’s a deadline, and you can feel the pressure each is under to break the curse.  Is it love or the knowledge that it will lead to something deeper if given the chance…either way, I believed in them together.

The ending left me a little frustrated.  I don’t feel that those who did ill to our heroes had anything happen to them.  Instead, they were rewarded in a way.  I can’t go into specifics here because of spoilers but I feel that certain characters should have had repercussions for their actions past and present. That didn’t occur.  That lead to the rating above.

But did I love this couple and most of the story? Absolutely.  The world building  and fantasy surrounding them was marvelous.  Solae was a prince I’m so happy I got to meet.

Cover art by Aisha Akeju is beautiful and perfect for the story.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

Book Details:

Publisher Note: This story was previously released in Fairytales Slashed Volume 4

ebook, Second

Expected publication: January 25th 2017 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620049730
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Hellbeasts by Katya Harris

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

hellbeastsWhen restlessness drives Shadow out of his MC’s clubhouse and into the night, the last thing he expected was to find a half-dead werewolf. Shadow has never been known for his altruism, but he takes the wounded man back to his motorcycle club, the Hellbeasts.

Rand doesn’t know who attacked him, but suspects at least one person from his own pack is involved. But even that might not be as bad as waking up in the midst of a group of misfit weres who don’t seem to like him. Especially Shadow, the man charged with taking care of Rand, as compelling to Rand as he is frightening.

But before he and Shadow can work out what exactly they are and want to be to each other, Rand’s attackers show up to finish the job.

Another in the Hellbeasts series from Less Than Three Press from numerous authors that revolves around a werebeast motorcycle club, I thought this one had promise but in the end didn’t completely deliver.  I loved the character of Shadow, and the others from the Hellbeasts MC.  They are the best drawn of all of the characters here in the story. Rand is perhaps the one with the least amount of support to his personality.  We are “told” about his history in different sections of the story but never actually get it from his point of view.  He just feels too much of a submissive to have ever fit the description of the wolf he’s supposed to have been.  He’s sweet, wounded, and yes sort of vague.  The complete opposite of Shadow.  Ironic.

Maybe the short length is part of the issue here.  Had this story been longer, it and the characters could have been developed to their full potential.  As it is, I liked it but the big showdown and the ending both felt rushed and left me feeling a bit disappointed.  Not what I would have wanted for such a strong character as Shadow.

Cover art is terrific.  Its eye catching and makes you want to read the story.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

c60a7-waxcreative-amazon-kindle

 

Book Details:

ebook, 61 pages
Published November 9th 2016 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620048931
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Review: Breaker (Exile #1) by Kelly Wyre and A.F. Henley

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

exile-breaker-coverIn a world of unintended effects, what was supposed to be The Cure, has given a portion of the population side effects.  The government, or what’s left of it, gathers these people.  Either they use them for their own purposes (human lie detectors among others) or keep them locked up for “the public good.”  However, there is this mythical island where the Estranged as they are called can escape to and life free from fear of capture.  But does this island really exist?

Kaeva knows that this island exists.  He’s been living there for the past eight years after twelve years on the streets.  Now thirty-six, he lives a solitary life on the island, away from the city.   When emotional, Kaeva has a tendency to short out electrical equipment.   His touch has even short circuited the brains of fellow humans as Kaeva points out that the brain is a bunch of cells tied together by water and electricity.  He is upset when the island leaders tell him to retrieve the newest “intake” who should be washing ashore soon.

Eddie has been scared of being detected for the past 22 years.  A recent college graduate who majored in English Literature focusing on ancient 20th century comic books.  However, after receiving the Cure, he has been hearing voices in his head.  These voices are of various people who are about to commit a crime.  However, Eddie never knows where these voices come from nor is he able to help any of the victims before it is too late.  Thinking silence is better than these voices he can’t control, Eddie decides to go to his uncle’s place to end his life.  However, on the way to the airport, he believes he’s been scanned and runs.  He meets a stranger who tells him of Exile, a sanctuary for Estranged.  As his original plans are impossible, Eddie figures he might as well go there.  If things don’t work out he can end his life there just as easily.  When he reaches the island, he does not quite know how to deal with the man who has been assigned to transition him into life on Exile.

I liked the combination of Kaeve and Eddie together.  Kaeve is anti-social in part because he wants to be but primarily because he HAS to be.  Eddie is a young, rich (which is unusual for the times) and naïve college graduate who majored in what most of today’s ten year old boys do today—comic books.  Other than the disappearance of his friend (who would be called a horse whisperer), Eddie has not seen life as tough as Kaeve has lived.  Kaeve is scared to death of accidentally killing someone while Eddie doesn’t know whether or not he wants to live.  Eddie wants Kaeve but Kaeve knows that to get close to him is a death sentence.  When Eddie finally touches Kaeve and nothing happens, hope abounds on both sides.  But without a purpose, Eddie still doesn’t know if he wants to live or not.  This is an intriguing opening book to this new series.

The cover art Aisha Akeju is perfect for the book.  It shows the beach where Kaeve is sent to meet Eddie when he first washes ashore on the island.

Sales Link

Purchasing Link to Less Than Three Press

Book Details

EBook, 340 pages

Published:  January 10, 2017 by Less Than Three Press

Edition Language:  English

ISBN:  9781620049334

Series:  Exile