Category: Science Fiction

Release Blitz – Loving Kit by L.M. Brown (excerpt and giveaway)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Loving Kit

Author: L.M. Brown

Publisher: Fireborn Publishing

Cover Artist: Sheri McGathy

Genre/s: Romance, Sci-fi, MMM Menage, MPreg

Length:  87 500 words/235 pages

Blurb

Logan McRae never expected to see two aliens when he woke from cryogenic sleep. He has lost his ship and his people and he questions whether he has lost his mind. As he gets to know Halor and Kit he realises he might just lose his heart as well.

Logan expected to wake on the spacecraft Mercury, ready to pilot the ship down to New Earth. Instead he comes out of cryogenic stasis to find he is on another ship with two alien beings, neither of whom can understand anything he says. Unfortunately, they are all the help he has if he wants to find his people and resume his journey.

Kit doesn’t know what sort of creature he has accidentally purchased, but it is definitely male and isn’t so very different from him and his lover, Halor. The language barrier might be a problem, but Kit knows the language of love doesn’t always need words.

Prince Halor of the Hawk Clan has always been reluctant to expand his nest beyond himself and Kit, but it is obvious from the start that his feline lover is attracted to their unexpected guest. Halor will do anything to give Kit the happiness he deserves, even invite another man into their bed.

Logan has no idea that Kit isn’t quite like other men until their passion results in unexpected consequences. Now he must choose between his mission and the two men who have given him everything he ever wanted, as well as things he never dreamed of.

Excerpt

When Logan stepped out of the cubicle, the cat-man was waiting for him with a clean kilt, similar to the ones worn by them. Logan had never worn such a garment in his life, but it was clear this was the only alternative clothing available if he wanted his flight suit cleaned.

His decision made, his covered himself quickly, though not quickly enough to avoid the frank appraisal of his feline host, whose green eyes lingered just a little too long on his groin.

Logan had taken his share of lovers before leaving Earth, but he couldn’t recall ever being looked at quite like that. The feline licked his lips and made no effort to hide his stares.

During his time on the ship, Logan had watched the two lovers touch and kiss almost constantly whenever they were together in a room. He had seen the feline drop to his knees and suck the cock of the bird-man at least once a day. Late at night, when they had disappeared down the hatch, the sounds of their sexual activities echoed throughout the ship. Even if they hadn’t given him a show right there on the flight deck, Logan would have to have been blind and deaf not to have figured out their relationship was far more than that of shipmates.

Since he had been seeing far more than was decent, Logan had also noticed that their feline and bird-like features were combined with those of men. Fur and feathers may have replaced hair, their eyes may be those of birds and cats, but there was enough about the two of them to make it clear they were very much men, not so different from himself.

They were actually quite pleasant to look upon. The feline was adorably cute, with a mischievous grin that never failed to bring a smile to Logan’s lips. As for the bird, Logan not only admired his elegant beauty, he was in awe of his incredible strength.

Logan shivered at the want he saw in the eyes of the cat-man. He might not understand a word he said or even know his name, but the blatant sexual need in his gaze needed no translation.

The squawk of the bird-man alerted them to his presence. Logan jumped, feeling guilty, despite having done nothing to encourage the cat to stray.

The feline grinned and licked his lips again. He meowed and gestured to Logan’s dirty clothing. Logan hoped he was going to get them cleaned, not have them thrown away.

Logan stepped aside so the cat-man could pass him, only for him to run his clawed finger lightly along his chest, sending another wave of shivers down his spine.

As the cat-man passed his lover, the bird-man tapped his arse playfully, causing the feline to swipe at him with his tail. Logan could tell they were merely playing and relaxed a little. As long as the bird-man didn’t think he was trying to steal away his lover, things should be okay.

The feline vanished from sight and Logan stepped towards the door. That was when he realised the cat-man wasn’t the only one who apparently admired his human body. The bird-man halted his progress with a hand on his chest, which turned into a soft caress, running over his abdomen and down to the front of his kilt.

Logan couldn’t have stopped his body reacting if his life had depended on it.

Buy Links

Fireborn Publishing

Amazon US 

Amazon UK  

Goodreads Link 

About the Author 

L.M. Brown is an English writer of gay romances. She believes that there is nothing hotter or sweeter than two men in love with each other… unless it is three.

When L.M. Brown isn’t bribing her fur babies for control of the laptop, she can usually be found with her nose in a book.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Giveaway

To win a $10/£10 Amazon gift card please visit my blog and leave a comment on my new release announcement post.

It will start from the 19th February 2018 and run until midnight GMT on 3rd March with the winner being chosen on Sunday 4th March 2018.

RELEASE BLITZ SCHEDULE

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

A MelanieM Review: Rook by T. Strange

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

 

For killing his husband, Rook is sent to B-226—an alien planet populated by deadly creatures, where the average life expectancy for a prisoner is three weeks. Rook is relieved by the sentence—all he wants is to die and rejoin his husband.

Upon arrival on B-226, Rook is partnered with Stevie, who has beaten the odds and survived for several months. Rook is drawn to Stevie in a way he didn’t expect in the aftermath of losing his husband. Before Rook can untangle the mess of his emotions, the already deadly situation on B-226 worsens, plunging Rook and Stevie into an even more desperate struggle to survive.

I’m really of two minds here when it comes to Rook by R. Strange, especially when rating the story, which I really liked.

It really falls into dividing my review and rating into two categories.  The  first being the characters and their relationship  which was excellent.  The second?  The world building and the creatures on planet B-226, none of which actually made any sense.  So lets get the problematic out of the way first and  end with what I loved about Rook.

If you are going to build an alien world, especially one with as important concept as a prison/mining planet whose environment is a death sentence, killing those within days of landfall, the majority lasting only 3 weeks.   With such a featured narrative aspect such as this one, then you need to make it and everything on it solid, well thought out, from the atmosphere, land masses, water features, flora, and yes, fauna.  If you are going to give us superstar killer fauna, explain why the environment produced them and supports them.  Have them make sense physically for the planet and in relation to each other. And once you do that, don’t contradict yourself.  As in, yes this creature only comes out in the rain, until oh look, the creature does come out when sunny because you need it to do so for narrative purposes.  And really, with regards to the dragons, which breathed fire, the latter made much more sense to begin with.  Why would fire breathing dragons (why dragons on this world to begin with) only come out when its raining?  Never got that one.  Plus there are cannibalistic flying kite/umbrella bats with three mouths, large reptiles I’m assuming that roll like wheels and much more.  It sounds more like a child’s book of wacky creatures than a well thought out naturali history for B-226.  Yes, Strange managed to make those bats scary but in the back of this naturalist’s mind was  much on that planet  just wasn’t supported from a animal standpoint or in the author’s worldbuilding. Why not just one mouth with serrated teeth?  Three is honestly overboard. Does it go to three stomachs?  And for what purpose?  From there my mind wanders to things like poisonous plants, (where are they, its an obvious rainforest…) because it can’t be just the fauna that’s trying to do you in.

Plus there was the whole thing about the humans smelling so bad that the animals attacked them but wouldn’t eat them.  Ok, surely that idea could have been explored more or exploited by scientists employed by the mining corporation or government or whoever.  Develop a scent, etc.  Also all the native animals showed the ability to adapt/outthink the invader/human technology to keep them out.  Yet there is no mention of sentient beings? Smh. Sigh.

And if my mind is trying to fill in the blanks and worrying over the huge holes in the  world building (this is the rarest, coveted,and important mineral in the galaxy and they haven’t done any planetary surveys, just sent in the miners?).  More questions than are answered.  Don’t give the reader reason for their mind to wander like that.  Supply a well reason, beautifully built universe to begin with and the reader’s mind will stay put where it belongs…on the story and the characters.

Well, enough of that.  You get my drift.

What I did like  was T. Strange’s character’s.  Rook and Stevie, a murderer and thief sentenced to die on B-226.  Again, the author didn’t do a great job with their backhistory.  It’s muddy for both men.  You never really get the full story   on what happened  in their pasts, just vague hints for Rook enough to piece it together and nothing really for Stevie for them to be sentenced to death.

What makes the story is the day by day building of their relationship, through the stress, fear, isolation, and anxiety of their situation.  They could die at any moment and often are fighting for their lives.  It’s those scenes and their dynamics that  the author does well and makes Rook work.  At least until the dragons show up again.  Then its back to questions all over again, one species in one location for the entire planet…etc.  Uh no. Again I’ll stop.

So I like the people, not the world.  Sounds about right.  For those that like scify fiction, I think  that Rook by T. Strange is a quick read you might want to check out.  I was given an unedited version so I hope the editor might suggest a few changes.  Check it out and let me know.

Cover by Aisha Akeju is colorful, wonderful and matches the story.

Buy Links:  Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published February 7th 2018 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781684311804
Edition LanguageEnglish