Review: Oracles Always Win (Willow Lake Supernaturals Book 3) by Lori Ames

Rating: 4.5🌈

Oracles Always Win is a fantastic book, a favorite read in a great series by Lori Ames about a small town of mixed paranormal species living among humans, all magically harmonious. That changed when a small pack of werewolves lead by a disgruntled were started a chain of serious crimes that eventually lead to the arrival of Gage, a demon, and his crew from the Supernatural Council.

One of the people there on the scene of the last crime, is Jake. He’s the owner of the bar and inn it occurred at. Jake has been a curious character throughout the prior stories. While he thinks he’s human, and is clearly ignorant of the many supernatural beings that are present in his life, it’s equally true he’s not just human. He has visions. He’s an oracle. Has a cat that talks (just not to Jake) and has magical powers. In other words, Jake is a mystery too.

Ames gives us several fantastic storylines here. There’s the ongoing threat to the community from the outside werewolf pack and perhaps something else. The species trafficking. Those investigations are continuing and have implications for others inside Willow Lake

But the best threads, the most engaging are the ones that involve Jake and Gabe, separately and together.

For Jake, it’s his story about finding out who he is, what his friends and community really are, and, painfully, what his family history reveals about him. That last part still remains shrouded by mystery in large chunks of missing magical family lineage .I hope we get to this further in.

Gabe is a demon who also has a painful past related to his father. It’s one that’s haunted him and plays a huge role in how he’s looked at his relationships with his coworkers and friends. Jake will force a major overhaul in his life and his dynamics with his found family.

This whole storyline is wonderful and just grabs at the reader on multiple levels. While Jake and Gabe are trying to work through their new relationship and possibly a mate bonding, there’s a real sense of danger and crime in progress to deal with.

We meet new characters, Isaac, Nelson, Davina, who are part of Gabe’s team, and explore more of Willow Lake’s magical powers. It’s a fascinating universe. I can’t wait for the next book to arrive.

Lori Ames’ Willow Lake Supernaturals is an excellent series and Oracles Always Win is an imaginative, well written example why I highly recommend the entire series.

Willow Lake Supernaturals:

Ravens Never Fall (Prequel)

Hellhounds Never Lie (Book 1)

Wolves Always Bite (Book 2)

Oracles Always Win (Book 3)

Buy Links:

Blurb:

Jake believes he is absolutely and completely ordinary… But what if he isn’t?

Jake is absolutely, completely ordinary, even if he has a weird painting affliction. Painting is relaxing, right? It helps. It’s a form of art therapy. Even if his is the sub-conscious kind of painting. The middle-of-the-night, paint-while-you-sleep kind. The kind that makes him puke every single time it happens.
Okay. So, maybe that’s not exactly normal.
But when the sexy but imaginary guy with horns, who his weird painterly alter-ego has been fixated on for the last year, suddenly shows up in town with horns and all, Jake doesn’t know what to think. Especially when the not-so-imaginary guy claims he’s a demon and that Jake’s an oracle of all things. That’s when Jake begins to suspect his life is never going to be the same again.
After all, he mentioned the horns, right?

Tags: A demon in search of a home, an oracle unknowingly in need of a tether, the talking cat is a messy eater, oracles know things, oracles shouldn’t paint in public in only their underwear, the wolves in the hills are still jerks, a formerly human guy keeps asking crazy questions, who knew horns and wings could be sexy, and… just how many supernatural beings will be drawn to this one little town?

Review: Nightmare for Hire (Monster Match) by Morgan Lysand

Rating: 3.75🌈

Nightmare for Hire by Morgan Lysand is a part of Monster Match series by various authors spanning 9 books about a AP that matches up monsters with a client who wants to scare someone.

Morgan Lysand’s story revolves around an eternal being, a literal nightmare, called Nox. Out of boredom and perhaps a sense of curiosity, he’s come to earth, assuming a human shape and is hiring himself out to give nightmares to exes.

Lysand’s portrait of Nox is an interesting combination of intense curiosity, innocence of many facets of the human experience, and yet a being as old as time itself. While there’s some unevenness in this character, overall, from Nox’s joyful gender free dress and love of pink boots to his own distinctive personality, Nox is a win.

Cyrus is a more complex character and compelling storyline. He’s recently out of a controlling, abusive relationship (read the trigger warnings) and has relocated to a new town and job. Emotionally, there’s so many issues with Cyrus and the behavior/DA that’s behind the damage done in the relationship with his ex that there’s not enough narrative space for the author and characters to explore this fully.

So in some respects and scenes it’s not as deeply horrific as it’s should have been. But Cyrus and Nox are a engaging couple and their chemistry is lovely

I enjoyed the story and characters but felt it needed more development to full explore the background and elements the author introduced.

Monster Match 9 books

◦ Threading Carefully by Ashlynn Mills

◦ His Primal Kiss by Kota Quinn

◦ Nightmare for Hire by Morgan Lysand

◦ His Slender Embrace by Amanda Meuwissen

◦ Conjured Chaos Kisses by Ki Brightly

◦ Pieces of Me by Jacey Davis

◦ Spinning Out of Control by Kit Barrie

Buy Link:

Blurb

Nox is a Nightmare, literally. Having been around for eons, he’s decided it’s time to have some fun… wrecking lives, that is. So he hires himself out to get revenge on bad exes, which leads him to joining the Monster Match app. He doesn’t exactly care what the circumstances are as long as he gets to have some fun scaring humans.

Cyrus moved to Rivenfield for a fresh start after a bad breakup. He just wants to keep his head down and work. Maybe meet a few monster cuties on Monster Match. He’s not expecting to click with someone so soon, but the mysterious Nightmare has him all hot and bothered awake and asleep.

After meeting Cyrus, Nox is flabbergasted why anyone would want to send a Nightmare after such a delightful human. He becomes determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. It looks like the cure for his eternal boredom might just be falling in love.

Nightmare for Hire is an opposites attract MM monster romance featuring a sunshiny Nightmare and a human just wanting to belong. It’s part of the Monster Match series. Each book is a standalone, but why don’t you have fun with all our monstrous beasties?

Review: Nightmare for Hire (Monster Match) by Morgan Lysand

Rating: 3.75🌈

Nightmare for Hire by Morgan Lysand is a part of Monster Match series by various authors spanning 9 books about a AP that matches up monsters with a client who wants to scare someone.

So in some respects and scenes it’s not as deeply horrific as it’s should have been. But Cyrus and Nox are a engaging couple and their chemistry is lovely

I enjoyed the story and characters but felt it needed more development to full explore the background and elements the author introduced.

Monster Match 9 books

◦ Threading Carefully by Ashlynn Mills

◦ His Primal Kiss by Kota Quinn

◦ Nightmare for Hire by Morgan Lysand

◦ His Slender Embrace by Amanda Meuwissen

◦ Conjured Chaos Kisses by Ki Brightly

◦ Pieces of Me by Jacey Davis

◦ Spinning Out of Control by Kit Barrie

Buy Link:

Blurb

Review: Nightmare for Hire (Monster Match) by Morgan Lysand

Rating: 3.75🌈

Nightmare for Hire by Morgan Lysand is a part of Monster Match series by various authors spanning 9 books about a AP that matches up monsters with a client who wants to scare someone.

So in some respects and scenes it’s not as deeply horrific as it’s should have been. But Cyrus and Nox are a engaging couple and their chemistry is lovely

I enjoyed the story and characters but felt it needed more development to full explore the background and elements the author introduced.

Monster Match 9 books

◦ Threading Carefully by Ashlynn Mills

◦ His Primal Kiss by Kota Quinn

◦ Nightmare for Hire by Morgan Lysand

◦ His Slender Embrace by Amanda Meuwissen

◦ Conjured Chaos Kisses by Ki Brightly

◦ Pieces of Me by Jacey Davis

◦ Spinning Out of Control by Kit Barrie

Buy Link:

Blurb

Check out the latest tour and giveaway for The Hencha Queen by J. Scott Coatsworth

J. Scott Coatsworth has a new queer sci-fantasy book out, Tales from Tharassas book 3: The Hencha Queen.

“A richly painted world that is both beautiful and sinister, evoking landscapes that are as much science fiction as Tolkiensian fantasy. 5 stars.” –Ulysses, Paranormal Romance Guild

SILYA COMES INTO HER OWN, BUT WILL SHE BE ENOUGH?

Silya finally has everything she always wanted. She’s the Hencha Queen, head of the Temple, and is working to master her newfound talents. So why does the world pick now to fall apart?

Her once-nemesis Raven is off riding dragons, and their mutual friend (and her ex) Aik is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new threat menaces the Heartland from the East, and if she can’t convince a reluctant Gullton city council to prepare for the worst, she may lose everyone and everything she’s ever cared about.

As she uses her magic-like abilities, wit and sheer determination to try to save the city, she’s joined by Raven and his new friends. Will their help tip the scales? And will they finally find out what happened to Aik as a dark storm threatens to sweep them all away?

Forget messy. Things just got apocalyptic.

Universal Buy Link

About the Series

The Tharassas Cycle is a four book sci-fantasy series set on the recently colonized world of Tharassas. When humans first arrived on planet, they thought they were alone until the hencha mind made itself known. But now a new threat has arisen to challenge both humankind and their new allies on this alien world.

Books 1 & 2 are on sale through March 31st for just 99Â¢ each (eBooks, all vendors). And if you buy one (or all three) of the main series books, email scott@jscottcoatsworth.com and let him know and he’ll send you a free copy of Tales From Tharassas, the prequel.

See All the Pre-Release Deals

Giveaway

Scott is giving away an eBook copy of Tales from Tharassas, the prequel, to everyone who enters the sweepstakes:

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Excerpt

A sharp crack filled the wine cellar. Kerrick swung the heavy mallet back and then assailed the flopwood boards that blocked the tunnel entrance again. The ancient wood splintered under the blow, sending shards clattering across the stone-paved floor.

It felt good to work out his frustrations. Still, the stubborn wood held out against his assault.

He rested the mallet on the black-tiled stone floor, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Even after a hundred years, the barrier was strong. Heâd tried to pry the boards out of the solid stone, but theyâd been fastened in too tightly. Brute force it is.

âYouâre doing great!â CorâLeaâs voice was artificially bright, and she was as tall as he was, maybe a little taller, peering over his shoulder at the sealed tunnel entrance.

Silya had tasked her with bringing him down here to check out these hidden caverns under the Temple, in preparation for the coming war. Important, sure, but also clearly an excuse to get him out from underfoot while she prepared for her official Raising.

He grunted. âThanks. These boards are hard as iron.â And hard as Silyaâs will.

One day things would be different between them, once this crisis was over. I just have to be patient.

Coral laughed. âIâm sure a big, strong man like you can break through them easily.â She squeezed his bicep appreciatively.

He shrugged her off. He wasnât sure if the gawky initiate was flirting with him or just trying to encourage him to get on with it, but either way, he wasnât interested. âStand back.â He hefted the hammer again, and she scurried out of his way.

He suppressed a smile, swinging the mallet around for another heavy blow.

Craack.

This time the board buckled inward visibly. Another few hits should do it.

He pulled back the heavy iron hammer again and hit the same spot with blow after blow. Craack. Craack. Craack.

The mallet broke through and a board fell away into splinters, clattering across the stone floor. One down, three more to go. âWhy did they seal this cavern up?â

CorâLea gestured at the natural chamber. âThere was a winery here before the Temple. Sister Dor said they used to use it for extra wine storage.â She looked around the natural chamber, which was now filled with wooden shelving holding a variety of bottled food stores. âWhen Jas ordered the Temple to be constructed, they kept this wide cavern and blocked off the rest of the tunnels.â

âJust in case the gully rats got in?â That thief Raven had apparently made his home in one of the underground tunnels. Who knew who elseâor what elseâlived down there?

CorâLea snorted. âMaybe.â

Are tunnels all connected, somehow? That was one of Silyaâs most urgent projects, to map out the network of caverns beneath the city. Another reason she sent me down hereâto get me out from under her robes.

A few more whacks at the next board served to both break it and let out his frustrations at the situation preventing him from doing his sworn job and keeping them apart. And at what she said was coming.

Craack. Craack. Craack.

The board snapped in half, and he judged that heâd cleared enough space to step through into the blocked-off tunnel. âHand me that lantern?

CorâLea complied, taking the opportunity to brush his hand.

He rolled his eyes. I should be flattered. But his heart was already taken.

It was times like these he wished his brother Enrick were still alive. Heâd know what to do. Heâd been absurdly confident about everything, even though heâd been younger than Kerrick.

Kerrick wasnât great with women.

He took the lantern and stepped over the bottom board, holding it in front of him. The bright light temporarily blinded him as he sought to get his bearings.

âWhat do you see?â CorâLea peered through the hole behind him.

His sight adjusted, and the tunnelâs walls came into focus.

He whistled. Stacked along the side of the tunnel were hundreds of crates, all strapped together in groups and sealed. âItâsâ¦ I donât know what it is. But Iâll bet Silya will be surprised.â Theyâd have to find a place to put all this stuffâwhatever it was, it was likely rotten after all this time. Silya needed somewhere to store people, not ancient goods.

CorâLea stepped carefully over the splintered boards to join him. âWhat do you thinkâs inside them?â

The long row of crates disappeared into the darkness. Who knew what the ancients had considered valuable enough to stash down here. Coin? Lost treasure? âOne way to find out. Does the Temple have a crowbar?â

Author Bio

Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.

He decided that if there werenât queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, Liminal Fiction, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is the committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworthauthor

Author Mastodon: https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@jscottcoatsworth

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jscottcoatsworth/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392709.J_Scott_Coatsworth

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ

Review: Elevator Pitch by Ofelia Grand

Rating: 4.5🌈

Short stories by Ofelia Grand are absolutely addictive. It’s like eating your favorite snacks or chocolates. You can just eat one right after the other. And be happy.

Elevator Pitch by Ofelia Grand, all 41 pages, tells a sweet tale of shifter love that looks incompatible on the surface but these two are perfect for each other.

As usual, Grand’s writing is spot on. We get dumped into a recognizable situation but paranormal world. A gay bear shifter is tired of trying to fit into a bear shifter society that’s not accepting of him. It’s painted quickly for the readers in skillfully written scenarios.

Bjorn Ritter is a bear shifter we can understand and connect with.

What’s next is surprising. That’s a somewhat distracted artist bat shifter, Cecil Baxter. He has a very different background and current situation on his hands. Cecil is engaging, and vulnerable.

It’s hard not to speak to the most powerful and important scenes of this very short story, but it takes place in a dark elevator. It’s believable. Stressful, real (be careful if you’re claustrophobic) and so incredibly emotional. This is why I read this author

It shows how two such individuals can make such an intense, deep connection in such a short period of time.

I love it and them.

I’ll be heading towards my next short story by this author and leaving you all to enjoy the gem that is Elevator Pitch by Ofelia Grand.

Buy Links

books2read.com/ElevatorPitch

Elevator Pitch at JMS-Books

Blurb:

Bjorn Ritter only wants one thing — to live his life away from nosey, demanding bears. That’s easier said than done when you’re the son of the female running the Bayside Bear Community.

Cecil Baxter might be a bat, but he grew up away from shifter communities and he’s doing his best to continue to keep his distance. Shifters aren’t an accepting bunch and Cecil has never fit the norm.

Already facing a dreaded meeting with his mother, the last thing Bjorn needs is a stranger using his elevator to escape a pack of werewolves. And Cecil, whose day just seems to be getting worse and worse, could really do without the added stress of finding himself trapped in an elevator with a huge bear shifter.

Still, what could go wrong in three minutes?

• Publisher: JMS Books LLC (June 6, 2020)

• Publication date: June 6, 2020

• Print length: 42 pages

Review: How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu, and Profit: Bone 3 (Villainy, #9) by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 5🌈

When a story contains the phrase “For Bone Daddy” and its uttered by a army of skelebabies in the middle of a rollicking bone rattling battle, well, you just know the book is going to be epic.

For all its short length, Sherwood packs a ton of high quality action, snarky humor, dubious necromancer goings on, and an ever- widening search for the bones of a sentient skeleton dragon called Steve.

I’m so committed to this series and found family of absolutely glorious people, young sorcerers in training in tow included. It’s hilarious, sexy, stunning and entertaining on every level.

I can’t wait for the pirates.

Dive into the series right at the beginning and then follow along. It’s all fabulous.

Love these covers.

Series and side stories

💥How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy-6 books

💥How Tan Acquired an Apprentice

💥How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu, and Profit:Bone

Buy Link

How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu, and Profit: Bone 3 (How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy Book 9)

Blurb

Do you wish to deploy the necromancer to fight? (YES) (no)

Niran: The leg bone’s connected to the ~ leg bone. The leg bone’s connected to the ~

Tan: Sword hilt~ the sword hilt’s connected to the bad guy~ hear the voice of the Steve~!

Steve: My boooOOOOoooone!

Tags:

Necromancers, fight!, it’s Niran’s time to shine, lawless city is our friend, onsen nookie, Steve makes a bad alarm clock, look at me, I’m the captain now, stinky city, Sword of the Sea makes an appearance, Steve needs his fainting couch to clutch his pearls upon, ragdoll Steve

• Publisher: (March 15, 2024)

• Publication date: March 15, 2024

• Print length: 61 pages

Science Fiction & Fantasy Shorts Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy

Review: Dire Straits and Entwined Fates (Fanged Mistakes, #2) by Alice Winters

Rating: 5🌈

Fanged Mistakes is everything I love about an Alice Winters universe and series. Fanged Mistakes incorporates humor (high and low), relatable complicated family relationships, interspecies courtship, drama, murder, psychological trauma, and layers upon layers of emotional, often tragic back histories.

These are all further entwined with some of the most memorable, surprisingly written characters, ones which, during both the course of each book and over the series, make decisions that challenge the reader’s perceptions of what we thought we knew about them. Instead, we get another layer of depth and generosity of spirit we didn’t see coming.

It’s not just the main characters this happens to either. More than once, I saw a scene or moment reveal a character’s real identity, one not previously seen. It’s done swiftly and succinctly and with impact. I can name every scene it happens in. The writing is that successful and great.

Dire Straits and Entwined Fates charts the next stage in Julian and Casamir’s relationship. Julian’s family is adjusting, albeit maybe not his father, to their mating, and things are doing well.

Naturally, here comes the past to throw up the biggest challenges they have faced yet. This was briefly hinted at in Faked Dates and Fanged Mistakes but Casamir’s past is back in one roaring, fast paced, action packed, emotional thriller of a ride.

Winters manages to keep all the heavy elements like Julian’s PTSD from his past attacks, the continuing emotional fallout, the devastating impact the return of his past is having on Casamir, the changing dynamics of their relationship, all of this raw material, is kept real and believable.

But interwoven into this is moments of hilarity, scenes of wonderful silliness and outrageous fun with their found family. It’s an eclectic group of friends and family formed of human detective, vampire sidekick, poodle, and a surprising newcomer. This allows a break from the tension and drama. And gives us some truly heartwarming scenes.

The ending and villain of this story are as compelling and complex as the themes and narrative calls for. It’s thoughtful storytelling that makes this a fantastic novel and these memorable characters.

I really need more. There’s that pesky question that keeps rearing its head of what exactly is Julian? No one seems to have the answer. More books please.

I’m highly recommending this and the series but read them in the order they are written for the events and relationships.

Fanged Mistakes:

✓ Faked Dates and Fanged Mistakes #1

✓ Dire Straits and Entwined Fates # 2

Buy Link

Dire Straits and Entwined Fates (Fanged Mistakes Book 2)

Blurb

Julian

When did fake-then-real dating an ancient vampire become the easy part?

Casimir’s ridiculously sweet now that he’s conquered “the art of the flirt,” as he calls it. He tries hard to fit in with my family—if we forget about those silly threatening chocolates he sent my father—and he even makes me popcorn… okay, he tried. I know, I know, I’m just bragging at this point.

Everything is perfect until we stumble upon a half-dead vampire who is being hunted by someone. And I’m afraid the person hunting him knows all about Casimir’s history. Casimir has fought so hard to drive the darkness away, but we both know that he needs to bury his past… one last time.

Casimir

I never saw myself in a relationship, let alone with a pesky werewolf. He’s funny and sweet, has questionable friends, and phenomenal taste in dog bandanas. After five hundred years, I think I’ve finally convinced myself that I deserve this.

However, someone else isn’t quite certain I do. Julian has assured me that it’s time to move forward, but when there’s a masked man waiting in the shadows for me, I find it hard to ignore my past mistakes.

But I have something I didn’t have the last time I faced him.

Someone who loves me.

Dire Straits and Entwined Fates has a cheerful werewolf who seems to have an aversion to clothes; a vampire leader who overuses speedy delivery services; board games with a little too much exhibitionism; and animals that are too cute to be eaten.

• Publisher: (March 12, 2024)

• Publication date: March 12, 2024

• Print length: 368 pages

Join Us for the Tour for “Earthquake Ethan” by R.L. Merrill (giveaway)

R.L. Merrill has a new contemporary MM romance out, Forces of Nature book 3: Earthquake Ethan.

The Earth shook the morning actor Ethan Bradley arrived in Los Angeles looking for a second chance. He hoped his former producers Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths meant it when they said to look them up if he were ever in LA because he had no other options. The pictures the paparazzi took at the wrap party for their London show made sure of that. What he wasn’t counting on was the reception he got from their manager, Arthur Frye. He was absolutely the kind of together guy Ethan wished would notice him, and for more than his pretty face and talent. Too bad Arthur only sees Ethan as a complication.

Arthur Frye has his hands full with his best clients—and best friends. The last thing he needs is another diva to care for, especially one who has a reputation for causing trouble. He has a strict rule against getting involved with the talent, no matter how pretty they are. Only Ethan Bradley shines for real, and when Arthur realizes his nice-guy innocence is genuine, he’s ready to do anything to help Ethan get his career back on track and get him out of LA. He’s too much of a temptation, and Arthur can’t afford to lose focus…not even for a chance at happiness for himself. Especially not when his star clients are about to risk their professional and personal happiness with their newest creation; a musical about two boys falling in love in the 1960s featuring music written by Reese’s grandfather, whose health is in decline.

Ethan Bradley shakes things up wherever he goes, and Arthur Frye is afraid he’ll be left in the wreckage if he gets too close. Can these two opposites find love on solid ground?

Warnings: implied sexual abuse off page

About the Series

Forces of Nature follows a group of talented men who are natural disasters, and the men who love them.

Amazon | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads

Giveaway

R.L. is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour:

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Excerpt

The morning after Ethan Bradley landed at LAX the earth shook. Literally. Being from Iowa, he’d always been afraid of earthquakes. He remembered watching footage when he was a little boy of the one that hit Northridge and it stayed with him. He’d even turned down a part in the film San Andreas because he was terrified of the real thing.

Plus—at the time—he’d wanted to be considered a serious actor, and accepting a role in a Hollywood disaster blockbuster didn’t fit in with his professional goals. Instead, he’d ended up going to London to film a clever romantic comedy. Then came the stage and more accolades at the age of twenty-six than he’d imagined possible.

When his hotel room rattled his first morning in LA and sent him diving under the desk in the early hours, he’d wished he’d stayed.

But London had nothing to offer him after the paparazzi ruined his life, and he couldn’t go home. So there he was, back in the states, and ready to grovel before his former producer—and crush—for a role, any role, that would allow him to get back to doing what he loved…acting, singing, performing.

Love was a strong word. It was what he knew, what he was good at, where his God-given talents lay.

He’d come to LA with a plan. Sort of. Go see Reese Matheson. Pray he opened the door and took pity on him. And that he didn’t hold a grudge.

He plugged the Malibu address he’d gotten from his London manager’s office into the Lyft app and went outside to wait for his ride. And prayed.

If Reese wouldn’t see him, he had a plan B.

He’d go to see Reese’s business partner Toby Griffiths. Which was probably a terrible idea, but the best he had.

Because there was no plan C.

He had exactly fifty dollars cash on him and a credit card dangerously close to being maxed out. Rock bottom was flying up to meet him fast.

The Lyft driver dropped him off at the end of a long driveway leading to a quaint little house that backed up to the Malibu shoreline. He knew nine o’clock on a Sunday morning was early, but the earthquake had shaken him so much, he couldn’t wait to get out of his room at the Holiday Inn. He’d been to LA before to promote his films, but he’d never felt comfortable among the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

Malibu had the scenery people thought of when they imagined Southern California. Palm trees, mountains that broke off into the sea, miles of sand with beautiful people jogging along the water’s edge. It was picturesque, and sometimes cliché. For Ethan, it represented his last hope.

He climbed the steps, cleared his throat, reached for that enthusiastic confidence that used to come so easy for him once upon a time—

The door opened before he even had a chance to knock.

The short Filipino man standing there in a pair of scrubs had one eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip.

“Can I help you?”

His tone didn’t come across as helpful, despite his words.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m looking for Reese Matheson? My name is—“

“I know who you are.” The man’s raised eyebrow turned into a frown. “Just a minute,” he said before closing the door with a little less force than a slam.

Breathe. It’s fine. Reese is a good guy. He won’t be angry that I showed up. He’s a generous, kind person—

Author Bio

R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing about contemporary issues that affect us all or diving deep into the paranormal and supernatural to give readers a shiver, she loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after.

Winner of the Kathryn Hayes “When Sparks Fly” Best Contemporary award for Hurricane Reese, Foreword INDIES finalist for Summer of Hush and RONE finalist for Typhoon Toby, Ro spends every spare moment improving her writing craft and striving to find that perfect balance between real-life and happily ever after.

She writes diverse and inclusive romance, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and works on various other writing and mentoring projects that tickle her fancy or benefit a worthy cause. You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Romance.

Author Website: https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/rochellerlmerrill/

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Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rlmerrillauthor

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9828914.R_L_Merrill

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/r-l-merrill/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/R.L.-Merrill/author/B00PI6Q1LI

Review: Present Tense (The ABC’s of Spellcraft Book 8) by Jordan Castillo Price

Rating:5🌈

Yuri and Dixon and the rest of their family are back in this absolutely adorable, perfect short story by Jordan Castillo Price.

The ABC’s of Spellcraft is a series that just gets better with each new chapter in Yuri and Dixon’s lives. Here they are scrambling to get each other’s gifts at Christmas, with all the glorious events you might imagine, including drama and the magic!

It ends appropriately with another move forward in their relationship and a HFN. And the realization for me that this is a series for every season for the excellent writing and fabulous characters.

I’m recommending this and the series. It’s magical ride! Binge read for your pleasure!

The ABC’s of Spellcraft series:

✓ Quill Me Now #1

✓ Trouble in Taco Town #2

✓ Something Stinks at the Spa #3

✓ Dead Man’s Quill #4

✓ Last But Not Lease #5

✓ Don’t Rock The Boardwalk #6

✓ What The Frack? #7

✓ Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas short #8

◦ Brownie Points #9

◦ Forging Ahead #10

◦ Mayor May Not #11

◦ Bucket List #12

◦ Comic Sans #13

◦ It’s All Relative #14

Buy Link:

Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas Short (The ABCs of Spellcraft Book 8)

Blurb

Christmas is a festive time of year, one filled with food, family and tradition—Dixon Penn’s ideal holiday. Too bad Spellcrafters don’t celebrate Christmas.

Dixon’s parents have always been strict about their no-present rule, reluctant to entrap anyone in an “endless cycle of reciprocal obligation.”

Yuri Volnikov was not raised in the Craft, but Dixon has made sure he understands that for Spellcrafters, Christmas presents are verboten.

No gifts. None. Nada. And everyone is on the same page in regards to presents….

Or are they?

The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where MM Romance meets Paranormal Cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect. The books are best read in order, so be sure to start at the beginning with Quill Me Now.

This holiday short is set after What the Frack? and contains series spoilers.

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Amazon | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads

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