Category: Self Published

A MelanieM Review: Optical Illusion (Paint #1) by Emma Jaye

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

optical-illlusionSmile, wiggle, lie, apologise, and run for the hills.

That’s the formula Chris has used all his life, but this time, he has something he’s never had to lose before, a family that cares. The problem is, his new brother’s very edible friend isn’t fooled by his act. If his secrets are revealed, they won’t want him and he has nowhere else to go.

Thanks to a suicide bomber, ex-military police sergeant Jase Rosewood is back in the English countryside. His plans for quiet recuperation are ruined by the effervescent, go-go dancing twink who has everyone wrapped around his little finger. Luckily for the gullible Matt, Jase can smell a liar a mile away, and Chris Bacon, if that’s even his name, stinks to high heaven. Assigned ‘Chris-sitting’ duty while Matt’s on honeymoon, Jase has a week to discover what is hidden beneath the bright camouflage. It’s a job, just like any other, so why does it feel so different?
Unfortunately, Jase isn’t the only one drawn to the boy who can’t stay still, but instead of wanting to reveal his true colours; they want to dull them forever.

Contains issues of physical abuse, but not between the central couple.

What an incredible story.  Emma Jaye, a new author for me, has written an angst filled, gritty book almost guaranteed to make you run through a range of emotions, not all of them welcome.  I was very surprised by the shift in tone and feel of the story from the beginning.  I was really expecting a different story than the one the author delivered.  From the blurb, it comes off  much lighter in theme and tone.  Not  so.  This is a dark story in almost every aspect and those expecting a light romance will be not only disappointed but find it  overwhelming in its pain and mystery at points. There is a gang rape.  Well handled, not as graphic as it could have been but its there. And the aftermath on the character is realistic and horrific.  But lets back up. I’ve gotten ahead of myself.

Jase Rosewood…layered complicated man, home with his planned career gone and his future uncertain meets Chris while at his best friend’s wedding.  A best friend who he used to be in love with.  Oh the complications.  But that’s all very straightforward because Chris Bacon is a Rubik’s Cube of a character.  He’s really beautifully written.  Jaye take’s her time showing us and Jase one side, only to start ripping that to shreds the next, unveil another, then that one is gone too.  Its done  with such angst, pain, and vulnerability on the part of Chris that our heart just bleeds for him and Jase, and all around him.  His past has  taught Chris one thing, his present is trying to show him another is possible and Chris can’t believe in a future for himself.  Its heartbreaking.  As much as Jase tries to protect Chris, and Chris wobbles between his past and present, the reader is caught up in the author’s scary storyline and both their lives.

There are any number of mysteries here.  A relationship between Jase and Chris that tries hard to find itself, an almost impossible feat given the characters and the circumstances surrounding them.  Things that I cannot go into because this whole book is one big spoiler, one small mention can lead to you knowing what’s coming in the next.

But my biggest disappointment is that cliffhanger ending.  Its why this book didn’t get the 5 star rating it probably deserves.  I have rated other cliffhangers higher but those were serialized stories, meant to end in such a manner.  Not a novel.  A novel, for me at least, comes with a certain expectation of at least some ending, even though you can see where another story will pick up.  Not a ending like this.

The second book, Blank Canvas, is out.  Boy, am I going to approach that one with trepidation and a ton of curiosity.   I need to know what happened here but I’m afraid to know what this author will do to these outstanding characters and my heart in the process.  She’s really that good.  I guess I’ll be finding out.  I must know.  That means you will too.

So who should read this story?   Those who love their romances dark, angst filled and hurt/comfort.  This is not for those who like sweet, light romances.  Emma Jaye is a new author and this is a terrific story.  Take a chance on it if it sounds like the type of love story you like.  I highly recommend it.  I’m on to book two.

Not crazy about the cover.  Could have been so much better.

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 333 pages
Published September 1st 2016 by Purindoors Publications
Original TitleOptical Illusion
ASINB01KCB8UX0
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesPaint:

 

A VVivacious Review: Immortal Watch (Godsbane Prince #2) by Olivia Helling

 
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
immortal-watchIlyas and Jem arrive in Nuriya to secure a trade deal on behalf of Lumi. But what Ilyas thought would be surprisingly easy turns out to be a whole lot tougher. Especially after he receives the news that he has a child.
 
As Ilyas is distracted by his child, Jem falls into a whole new trouble with people who call themselves the Immortal Watch. But what they both don’t know is that they are just cogs in the scheme of a much more elaborate plan…
 
This book is all about its story. It is a story that has everything and would be near impossible to describe in a single word but if I had to that word would have to be ambitious. This story has gods, aliens, a supernatural war, interdimensional travel, bloody politics, a scramble for power, new hopes, crushing defeats, death and a search for a trade deal that started it all. And if I could get another word it would be interesting. This story is a high speed roller-coaster ride that just leaves you flipping the pages one after the other till the very end. I read this book in a single sitting, which definitely proves that I for one was hooked to this story.
 
My issues with this book are more morally inclined, I don’t like books with indiscriminate killing and there is a lot of that in this book, also the pig-headed MCs of this book didn’t help matters.
 
Olivia Helling has a gift she can make you hate and absolve a character in the span of one book. In the last book I faced this with Ilyas; this time around it’s Jem. What I came to realise is that while Jem’s behaviour and actions fit well against the background of the events taking place in Lumi, the same actions in Nuriya make him look unhinged.
 
The main focus of this story is on a war that took place between the gods and the members of the Immortal Watch ages ago and how that war has shaped the events that happen in this book. I won’t go into further detail as that would be a major spoiler but that aspect of this story is the best part of this book and is a thriller that twists and turns and leaves you all wringed out. But there is a subplot concerning Ilyas and Jem and their budding relationship and the strain that Ilyas’ discovery of being a father puts on it.
 
Personally Ilyas and Jem’s relationship seems woefully underdeveloped but as that underdevelopment was essential to the plot of the book, I let it go but it was still there in the back of my mind that there circumstances were unique in the extreme.
 
I liked Ilyas and I loved him throughout the book, especially as he finally gets Jem to see the fallacy of his actions. But their resolution seems a bit too hurried; I think they really need to work out certain things between them that were left unsaid at the end of this book. If there is going to be another book in this series I hope it focuses on their relationship.
 
Overall this is one hell of a book with an amazing plot that never lets up.
 
Cover Art by Lou Harper. I liked the cover but it doesn’t exactly match the image I had in my head, especially concerning the city of Nuriya which looks desert-like for a place with such fertile grounds. Also, the singular colour of the buildings didn’t fit with the colour loving Nuriyites.
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Book Details:
ebook
Published September 23rd 2016 by Olivia Helling
ISBN139780993918094
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series: Godsbane Prince

A Free Dreamer Review: Pendulum (Kingdom of Night #1) by L.C. Davis

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
pendulum-by-l-c-davisRemus Black is still reeling from an abusive relationship that stripped him of everything — including his desire for love. Now all he wants is a fresh start halfway across the country, but his new roommate is determined to draw him into his strange world of chains, half-naked men and the infamous Lodge, a BDSM club as lavish as it is secretive.

When Remus is entered into the Lodge’s annual Alpha’s Pet contest against his will, he finds himself thrown to the Wolf Pack, the very type of men he needs to avoid. What’s worse is that the wolves immediately label him a submissive, something he swore he would never be again. Things get even stranger when “wolf” turns out to be far more literal than Remus ever imagined. When both the next-in-line for Alpha and his outcast brother claim Remus as their own, the entire pack is thrown into chaos.

Can Remus learn to embrace the power of submission and choose between the brothers before their rivalry tears the pack apart, or will the tension between them unravel his own sordid past?

I’m a bit torn about this book. I pretty much hated the first 40% or so. That part was something around 2 or 2.5 stars for me.

At first, Remus is a horribly annoying doormat. He has no spine and never, ever stands up for himself. It drove me nuts. At least Remus is aware of his lack of spine and we do get a good explanation later on. But at the time, I just want to shake some sense into the boy.

Then Sebastian shows up. He’s your typical badass, growly Alpha Dom. He got on my nerves pretty soon. I didn’t like how he coddled Remus. It seemed belittling to me, taking away all his choices and taking advantage of Remus’ lack of self-confidence.

Things got interesting when Victor, Sebastian’s twin, showed up. Where Sebastian seemed to be all muscle and little brain, Victor was a master at mind games. He was a very intriguing character. I think that’s about the time I started to get more invested in the story.

After a while, questions start getting answers and mysteries start unravelling, uncovering some very interesting world building. Everything became more and more intriguing and suddenly I really, really had to know what was going to happen next.

The ending is a very mean cliff-hanger, leaving us with even more questions. It’s a very open ending. I have a feeling there won’t be a real resolution until the end of the series.

Long story short, the beginning was very, very weak. It took about 40 or 50% for me to get invested in the story. The second half was really good, though, full of suspense and mysteries.

Cover art is fitting for the story and eye-catching.

Sales Link

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 434 pages
Published April 10th 2016
ASINB01E46Y2U4
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesKingdom of Night #1

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Into You by Jay Northcote

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

into-you-by-jay-northcoteWhat do you do when the body you wake up in isn’t yours?

Olly and Scott promised to be best friends forever. They grew up on the same street, went to the same school, and did everything together. But one hot summer night, teenage experimentation caused hurt feelings and confusion, and their friendship was destroyed.

Four years later they’re both eighteen years old and in their final term at school. Scott is a football star and Olly’s preparing for a main role in the school play. After a heated argument in the street—witnessed by their mysterious, elderly neighbor—they wake up the next morning stuck in each other’s bodies.

With no idea how to get back to normal, they have to co-operate in order to hide their secret. Spending time together rekindles their friendship, yet feelings run deeper for both of them. With the end of school fast approaching, the clock is ticking. Unless they discover how to change back, they could be stuck in the wrong bodies forever.

Olly and Scott haven’t spoken in years and when Scott speeds around a corner on his way home in his shiny new car, he scares Olly so much he falls from his bike, hurting him in the process.  Instead of making up, however, the two have a heated argument, and Olly limps home, heartbroken that the guy he once thought he loved could be so mean.

What he doesn’t know is that Scott is equally sad about losing his friend and about the way they parted soon after an experimental kiss when they were fourteen. Scott doesn’t quite know why Olly turned away from him, not realizing that he broke Olly’s heart, but he accepts that it’s just the way it is, and it’s unlikely to change.  Unfortunately for both boys, their elderly neighbor, Miss Wychwood, doesn’t see it as unchangeable, and she and her magic are about to turn the boys’ world upside down.

When they wake up the next morning, they discover just how upside down they are as Olly looks at Scott’s body in Scott’s mirror and Scott looks at Olly’s in his.  Somehow, they’ve switched and both are in a panic to switch back.  But this is the start of what, at first, is a forced closeness and later grows to renewed friendship and then ultimately to admitting their love for each other.

The story is lighthearted, sweet, humorous, and entertaining.  I enjoyed the author’s writing style as much as I enjoyed the way the story unfolded.  The characters were three dimensional, their parents realistic, and their schoolmates typical. What a great way to spend my reading time! I recommend this to all who enjoy a lighthearted young adult/new adult MM romance.

The cover by Garrett Leigh features a close-up of a cute young man against a bright blue background.  It doesn’t tell the story, but it is attention-getting. 

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 170 pages
Expected publication: September 9th 2016 by Jaybird Press
ASINB01LK3XK66
Edition LanguageEnglish

What Happens When Love Pulls a Switch? Find Out with ‘Into You’ by Jay Northcote (release day blog)

Jay Northcote – Into You

Author: Jay Northcote
 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design
Length: 57,000 words
 
Release Date: September 9 2016
 
Buy Links: Amazon US Amazon UK
 

Blurb

 
What do you do when the body you wake up in isnít yours?


Olly and Scott promised to be best friends forever. They grew up on the same street, went to the same school, and did everything together. But one hot summer night, teenage experimentation caused hurt feelings and confusion, and their friendship was destroyed.


Four years later theyíre both eighteen years old and in their final term at school. Scott is a football star and Ollyís preparing for a main role in the school play. After a heated argument in the streetówitnessed by their mysterious, elderly neighbouróthey wake up the next morning stuck in each otherís bodies.


With no idea how to get back to normal, they have to co-operate in order to hide their secret. Spending time together rekindles their friendship, yet feelings run deeper for both of them. With the end of school fast approaching, the clock is ticking. Unless they discover how to change back, they could be stuck in the wrong bodies forever.

 

 

Excerpt


The sound of music playing pulled Scott from a thick blanket of sleep into wakefulness. He lay curled on his side; his room was darker than usual, as though someone had come in and closed the blinds while he slept. His bed felt weird, softer than it should be, and it smelled different.

He sat up, blinking in confusion as he looked around. He took in the room, the details unclear in the half-light that crept around the edges of the blind, but it was enough for him to realise where he was.

The posters on the wall were new, but the layout hadn’t changed in four years.

What the fuck?

It wasn’t possible. Logic told Scott there was no way this could be happening.

He’d gone to sleep in his own bed—he hadn’t been drunk or high. So why the hell was he waking up in Olly’s room with no recollection of how he got there? And where the hell was Olly? The music that had woken him was coming from a phone on a docking station by the bed. He picked it up and pressed some buttons until it stopped. His brain was fogged with sleep and he couldn’t think clearly.

Scott got out of bed on shaky legs. His hip ached as though it was bruised.

Actually, his whole body felt weird. Perhaps he was sick? Maybe this was all some bizarre hallucination?

Pulling the cord to raise the blind, Scott flooded the room with light. He looked down at himself, only….

He closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, he still didn’t see himself. His body was too thin, his skin too pale, the hair on his legs darker than usual, and he definitely didn’t own any snug purple briefs like the ones he was currently wearing.

Stomach roiling with disbelief and terror, Scott turned to the full-length mirror on the wall and blinked.

Olly’s reflection stared back looking as horrified as Scott felt. Scott raised his hands to his face, and so did Olly in the mirror.

“This isn’t happening,” he said.

The voice was Olly’s too, softer and a little higher-pitched than Scott’s own.

It was the weirdest, most vivid dream Scott had ever had.

He pinched himself hard. “Ouch!”

Why wasn’t he waking up?


Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep!

Olly shot up, heart pounding at the shrill sound. He opened his eyes and blinked in the sunlight.

Ugh. Too bright.

He looked around wildly and closed his eyes again, refusing to believe what he saw. Obviously he wasn’t awake yet because he couldn’t be in Scott’s room. He hadn’t set foot in Scott’s house in years.

Olly cracked his eyes open again but still saw the white walls, the posters of Scott’s football heroes that Olly remembered from years ago, and the freakishly tidy desk that definitely wasn’t his.

The alarm clock by the bed was still making an awful racket, so he found the button to silence it.

“Scott?” he said hesitantly, then coughed.

What the fuck was wrong with his throat? His voice was deep and rough sounding. Oh God, no, please don’t let him be getting a cold. He couldn’t afford to lose his voice with all the play rehearsals coming up.

He pushed the duvet off and swung his legs around to get out of bed. He’d find

Scott and work out what the hell was going on. Maybe he had some weird amnesia after his accident yesterday, although he hadn’t hit his head. There had to be some explanation for why he was apparently in Scott’s bed rather than his own.

Then Olly looked down at his legs—and froze.

They were thicker and more muscular than they should be. Olly only dreamed of having legs like that. The hairs on them were light brown instead of dark, the skin more tanned. He looked at his hands, they were all wrong too, thicker and sturdier than they should be. He lifted one to run it through his hair, the way he often did in times of crisis.

“What the fuck?” No long floppy fringe falling in his eyes. Instead he found short-cropped hair and his ear piercings were gone.

Now convinced he was dreaming, because that was the only possible explanation, Olly got up to look in the mirror. Scott’s handsome face stared back at him, the mouth slack with surprise and the blue eyes wide.

Olly shook his head in disbelief. No way could this be happening. No way. This was the stuff of Hollywood movies, not reality. But cold, creeping panic rose in his gut, because apart from the fact that he appeared to be in the wrong body, everything else felt normal. Way too normal for it to be a dream.

“No,” he said loudly, putting his hands up and touching Scott’s nose, Scott’s cheekbones, Scott’s lips. He felt every brush of his fingertips. “Oh, Jesus Christ on a bike, this is not happening. No.”

 

Author Bio:

 
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.
 
She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story, just to see if she could, and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

End Street Detectives are Back in End Street Vol 2 by Amber Kell & RJ Scott (Series Recap Tour and Giveaway)

Series Recap Tour & Giveaway

 End Street Vol 2 

 Amber Kell & RJ Scott

Authors: Amber Kell & RJ Scott
 
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
 
Blurb
 
The Case of the Dragon’s Dilemma

Dragons, battles, a Siren attack and a deal Sam may come to regret leave Sam and Bob in danger…and result in Mikhail finding a mate. 

Bob and Sam take their kind-of-adopted-now vampire daughter Mal to look at new schools. Mikhail is left to babysit the last of the remaining rescued children whilst they are away. 

When Sirens appear to steal her away, he is left facing the attack alone until a mysterious hero comes to his aid. Ryujin, or Jin to his friends, is a dragon shifter and his role as Captain of the Dragon Guards puts him in direct conflict with Mikhail. 

The minute he sees Mikhail he knows what he wants. Now if he can only get Mikhail to see the same. 
 
The Case of the Sinful Santa 

Zephariel, the Angel of Vengeance, Nick Klauson, nephew to Santa, Christmas magic, zombies in the school and a necromancer causing chaos…and at the centre of it all-Mal. 

Zephariel is the Angel of Vengeance and is tracking down his cousin Danjal for misuse of brimstone. When he walks into a bar and finds Nick Klauson drowning his sorrows, he is instantly drawn to him. Could this be his fated mate? 

When Nick and Zeph join forces to deal with zombies in Mal’s school, sparks fly. Add in a demon, a wolf and a necromancer, and Sam and Bob have a hunt on their hands.
 

“…With stories that are written by more than one author, there are sometimes gaps in the flow of the writing. There are none here. The writing flows smoothly and seamlessly I wouldn’t be able to tell you who wrote what. The world describe within the story was easily imagined as where the characters….”

 

Author Bios

 
Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
 
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life, he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn’t writing, she remembers she has children who humor her with games of “what if” and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author nameótwo things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
 
Despite her husband’s insistence she doesn’t drink enough to be a true literary genius, she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
 
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres.
 
 
E-mail: amberkellwrites@gmail.com

 


RJ Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. 
 
RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.
 
The last time she had a weekís break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldnít defeat.
 
mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
www.rjscott.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/author.rjscott?ref=ts&fref=ts
www.goodreads.com/author/show/3432558.R_J_Scott
twitter.com/Rjscott_author
www.librarything.com/author/scottrj

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