A Stella Review: Rabbit Season (Lost Shifters #2) by Megan Derr

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

Sidney has quietly loved twin brothers Brook and Colby for years, watching and pining as they came to his house for the summer every year. Painfully aware that they have each other, and that they have no reason to notice the unremarkable duck they grew up babysitting.   Then the twins and their mother are attacked days before an important meeting that will change the shifter world forever. When the twins come to stay with Sidney’s family until the attackers are caught, Sidney learns that all things have their season, and even violent protests will not keep two rabbits from the man for whom they’ve been patiently waiting…

Warning: Story contains incest

Just a short premise. Even if this is a very light book, if you are uneasy to read about incest, I think this book it’s not for you. Usually I don’t feel so comfortable reading about this theme but I found out that it’s really important how the author showes it to us. In this case, it wasn’t so hard to me to read the incesty threesome (how Brook called it), maybe cause it’s a paranormal story, or perhaps cause it’s not uncommon in the shifters’ world Megan created, in general it’s allowed. In fact, if you’ll read the book, you’ll discover Sidney’s parent are the first to welcome his relationship. No drama at all.

Sidney is a duck shifter and the heir of the kingdom; he has two dads, Troy, human and James, the flock leader. He’s in love with the Hot Twinks (Brook and Colby), the rabbit shifters, since forever. he has tried (not so) hard to forget them, until one morning, still wearing Spiderman pajama pants, he finds them in his kitchen. Just like that, after being ignored all these years, they start flirting with him. Are they making fun of him?

Colby and Brook have feelings for Sidney since he was sixteen, but they stayed away because he was too young. Now he’s twenty and they are ready to take what they want.

The flock is not welcoming this new relationship, they want Sidney to be with a duck, not a rabbit, even less two of them. So Sidney needs to understand if the rabbits are just looking for some fun time or something more. Are the Hot Twins worthy losing the flock leading?

The author created a great shifters world with a DPRS (Department for the Protection and Regulation of Shifters) and a Lost Shifters Foundation, who rescue feral shifters and find them a home. Being a short book, I understand it wasn’t possible to develop all the conflicts and mysteries we read about them, but I think it has penalized the success of the story.

Rabbit Season is cute and there are some funny dialogues that lighten the story, but I missed the sweetness of Backwoods Asylum. In my opinion it’s due to the choice of adding the sexual aspect. In fact, while in the first book the physical relationship between the two Mcs started at the end of the story and there were no sex scenes, in this second one Sidney and the Hot Twinks are together and having hot sex almost from the start. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading steamy sex scenes, really love, just not in this story. Maybe it’s cause I’m still playing with Hansel and Gretel (if you read Brady and Skylar’s story, you know what I’m talking about). I thought I was going to read something on the same line. I simply didn’t get the same emotions from this book, even if I enjoyed a lot and I devoured it.

So far, I want to recommend the Lost Shifters series, it’s a funny, sweet and light reading.

The COVER DESIGNED by London Burden is not ethereal as the Backwoods Asylum one. It misses one thing: the clothes Brook and Colby stole to Sidney in the scene at the pond. It would have fitted the story perfectly.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: February 18th 2015 by Less Than Three Press
original titleRabbit Season
ISBN139781620044346
edition languageEnglish
seriesLost Shifters #2

Books In the Lost Shifters series:

Backwoods Asylum (Lost Shifters #1)
Rabbit Season (Lost Shifters #2)

A Stella Review: Backwoods Asylum by Megan Derr

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Skylar is used to the way people think of him as frightening, mean, and dangerous. Snakes are not the most popular shifters around and the fact he grew up wild doesn’t help. He knows the way he’s chosen to live alone in the woods only makes things worse, but he didn’t think it meant people thought him capable of killing a couple of wolf puppies.  Determined to find the real monster who left them to die, Skylar calls up the only wolf he knows, a man he always wished would see him as more than a snake …

Backwoods Asylum is the first book in the Lost Shifters series by Megan Derr.

Skylar is a snake shifter and an editor. He spent the first twelve years of his life in his snake form. Then he was found by the Lost Shifters Foundation and adopted by a wonderful family. But he is still a solitary. He lives in the wood alone, when one night he wakes at the sound of crying wolf puppies that have been abandoned on his property. It is love at first sight, the two puppies (Hansel and Gretel) awake in him the desire to be a parent and Skylar creates with them a bond it will be really hard to break. But he needs help to find out who has abandoned this two cute shifters. Unfortunately the only wolf he knows, he’s the one who didn’t even like him.

Brady he’s a red wolf shifter; he and Skylar meet in college, both of them develop a crush on the other one, but at the time Skylar was trying to understand how to live in his human form and Brady was afraid to scare him. Now it’s the time to overcome a little misunderstanding and see if that crush is still hunting their hearts.
When people will start to think Skylar has kidnapped the puppies and killed them, Brady will be the one to help and protect him and the little ones.

I liked the shifters’ world the author created, nothing to complicated but nonetheless well developed, with some conflicts and mystery only outlined that I hope will be explained better in the next book.

For a book so short I think it was well done. As always, since I’m greedy, I would have liked just one more chapter to know what happened after the end.

What else can I say? Hansel and Gretel won my heart, I’m still fluttering in their cuteness.

If you’re looking for some steamy sex, forget about it, you’ll not find it in this book. What you surely will find is a funny and super sweet story, a quick reading and an easy plot, it will definitely lighten your heart.

Cover designed by London Burden. The cover shows the first part of the book, when the puppies are still alone and confused in the wood crying. It fit the story perfectly, but maybe I think I would have preferred to have Skylar in the cover too, cause when I think about Hansel and Gretel, Skylar is always with them. It would have been more perfect.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon <a href=”Buy It here

Book Details:

ebook, 60 pages
Published May 22nd 2013 by Less Than Three Press LLC (first published May 21st 2013)
original title Backwoods Asylum
ISBN139781620041987
edition languageEnglish
series Lost Shifters #1

A Stella Review: The Wish Auger by Cecil Wilde

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Gabriel Juarez has only one wish for Christmas, uttered moments before midnight on Christmas Eve: a hug. He wakes up the next morning to find his wish being haphazardly granted in the form of an insecure elf called Felix, who works as a wish augur and couldn’t bring himself to let Gabe’s wish go unfulfilled.

A knitting elf? I’m a goner. How cute is it?

The Wish Augur by Cecil Wilde is a short Christmas story.

Gabe has no family, no friends (except Maria), a crappy job with crappy coworkers and a crappy apartment. Shortly, his life sucks. He writes comics in his free time, hoping it could become his true work. He’s lonely and sad, spending the Christmas Eve in bed crying and cursing his life.

“I want… All I want for Christmas right now is a hug.”

On Christmas morning he wakes with someone wrapped around him. Who is the blond haired, blue eyes guy in his bed?
Felix is one of Santa’s elves, a wish augur elf come from the North Pole to Gabe’s home to fulfill his request of a hug. He just wants Gabe to spend a perfect Christmas.

There are a lot of things I loved in this story. First of all the characters: Felix is exuberant, full of energy and at the same time insecure. Gabe squeezed my heart in the first pages of the book and it was wonderful to see him starting to believe in this “hugs dispenser” and becoming happier and self assured.

I liked all the little details the author added to the story: the fireworks scene, the decorations’ choice and the fantastic use Felix do of the magic (pancakes from nowhere and high speed knitting).

Since I’m a naughty girl, I loved the short and funny sex scene.

Being so short I can understand there was no space for more informations about Felix’s world, but I’m sure we could get more about this cute couple in a sequel, cause I loved the end so much and it would be wonderful to see them again in their new life together.

A quick, magical Christmas story. Highly recommended.

COVER DESIGNED by Aisha Akeju. I like this artist’s work a lot. So far she designed covers that fit the stories I read perfectly. In particular I like this one cause I can see something magical in it and at the same time it’s simple and cozy. That bed draws a lot of hugs.

Sales Links: Less Than Three Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It here

Book Details:
Published December 17th 2014 by Less Than Three Press, LLC
Kindle Edition, 44 pages
ASIN B00PPH99SM
Edition language English

A Stella Review: Moment of Impact by Karen Stivali

Rating: 4,5 stars out of 5

Outside Collin Fitzpatrick’s dorm room is a dangerous place. Beyond his door the students of his small, conservative college think he’s straight, as does his Catholic family who’d disown him if they learned the truth. Inside, he’s safe with his incredibly sexy roommate Tanner D’Amico. Their room makes a perfect place to hide away and fall in love. The moment they cross the line from roommates to lovers, Collin becomes caught between their heavenly passionate encounters and the hellish reality that someone might find out and destroy everything. Tanner’s not used to being so confined, and wants to show the world how much he loves Collin. But Collin’s not sure he’s ready for the impact stepping outside will make.

“I didn’t mean to see Tanner D’Amico’s cock. I really didn’t.”

Let’s start this review at the same way the book does. I was laughing so hard but it’s true, everything started in that way.

Collin and Tanner are friends and roommates for two years. They secretly are in love with each other, but they both think the other is straight. Tanner has a girlfriend, Wendy, and they spend every Monday night having sex, while poor Collin pretends to sleeping in the bed and not listening to their lovemaking. Until one Monday night Collin realizes Tanner is alone.

Tanner has finally found the courage to approach Collin and see if his friend is so straight or maybe there’s a chance for them. He’s determined to be with Collin, but Collin needs to finally step out of his closet. And his closet is an heavy one, full of guilt versus his really Catholic mother. His fear will lead him to almost lose Tanner.

“You deserve better than that. I want you to have better than that. I want you to have everything.”

“I don’t want everything,” he said. My heart fluttered just from the sound of his voice, deep and rich and flowing around me like warm water. “I just want you.”

Discovering that love is stronger and has nothing to do with religions, will give Collin the strength to prove Tanner he’s “that” everything in the right moment of impact. His loss will be great and I hope his mother will be back to loving his son more than before she discovered he’s gay.

The last scene of the book is really emotional.

This book was a real gem to me. I fell in love with Collin and Tanner from the start and at the end of the book I think I fell in love with the author too. I particularly liked how she wrote this story, the words flowed so well, it was impossible to me to put it down for a moment. It was a quick and lovely reading, sweet as I like all of my books. I can’t wait for the second on in this series, Moment of Truth.

I haven’t given 5 stars cause Moment of Impact is part of a three books series, called Moments in Time. Each one of them is a novella and I think that maybe they could have been all put together in just one book. I hope this will be the right choice, cause I expect the second one to be as good as this first book.

I want to add something more. I’m always afraid when an author decides to deal with religious themes. Living in a city like Rome, you can feel the Catholicism in the air, regardless if you believe or not in something or someone. I don’t want to talk about what I believe in, but I can say that I understand and I ache for Collin, I honestly don’t see acceptance around me. I’m proud to live in my country but I feel it’s not ready to be the perfect (or at least the right) place for the LGBT people. It’s too deep in its beliefs. Still, I know, cause I want to believe, that my children will live in that perfect place. I’m not being naive, I’m realistic.

Cover art by Anna Sikorska: isn’t the cover model cute??

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy it here

Book details:
Published January 7th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ebook, 110 pages
ISBN13 9781632164780
Edition language: English

A Stella Review: A Bond of Three by K.C. Wells

Rating: 3,5 out of 5 stars

I was really curious about this book and so happy when I scored the ARC. But it disappointed me a little.
Let’s start from the beginning. The blurb tells you everything you need to know, but I honestly thought I was going to read a different story, in some ways I thought it would have been more troubling. Instead what I found was a really sweet book.

Set in the kingdom of Teruna where young boys and girls are forced to leave their family and join the Seruan, becoming the lower caste, Prince Tanish and Seruan Feyar are together for seven years. It’s love at first sight but it needs to be a secret. When the fear of an attack from an enemy kingdom brought the King to look for an alliance with the neighbor King of Vancor, the wedding between Tanish and the Prince of Vancor, Sorran, seems the only way to join two kingdoms and be ready to face a war.

The young Sorran is sweet and innocent and he needs someone to teach him the art of love. Guess who’s chosen as a teacher? Our Feyar. Both Tanish and Feyar can’t oppose to the king’s order but they are resolute in their dislike of the young one. But Sorran is hard to resist and as Fate would have it, love will become the bond that will tie the three of them forever.

I loved how the author presents the three MCs. They’re so young but so firm in their decisions and their love. Each one of them is the perfect one for the other ones. Especially I loved Sorran, cause he will be the one to show Feyar and Tanish the path to a new era full of equality and justice.

Now, why the disappointment? I honestly was waiting for something to happen. But everything went pretty smooth. I’m not saying the book is boring. On the contrary, it is enjoyable, really sweet and things happened. But I was waiting for something more, especially for a fantasy book where pretty much everything is allowed. Just a little more action or drama.

I want to add that the characters and every scene are described very well. KC is a master in her writing. I like her style, her fluency and easiness in every sentence. I was so glad she chose to use an alternate POV between the three men , it was perfect way to understand every shade of their feelings.

I can honestly say I preferred her contemporary books. But if you are looking for a light read with a lot of sweetness, some hot sex and some magical aspects, you can’t miss A Bond Of Three.

Cover Design Alexander Tsopanakis,Cover Photo R.J. Sebastian

The cover fits the three MCs perfectly and the models aren’t bad at all. If you have read anything by Miss Wells I think you’re already used to see some beauty on her covers. This one is no exception.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon to come Buy It here

Book Details

ebook, 264 pages
Expected publication: January 19th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632166838
edition languageEnglish

A Stella Review: Ryan’s Wizard (Paws and Magic #2) by Beany Sparks

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

After years of no contact, Oliver “Olly” Grey was finally able to reunite with his cousin Aiden. He’s surprised to find that Aiden now has a mate—a male, shifter mate—named Lex. And it’s Lex’s pack mates that Olly is there to help save. What he hadn’t expected was Lex’s brother Ryan. Ryan Shepherd was happy to have found his brother Lex, and even happier to know that his brother was happily mated. But there is something about Aiden’s cousin Olly that Ryan doesn’t trust, especially when he also smells like the man currently holding his pack members captive. Yet that doesn’t stop Ryan from wanting to hold and comfort the man, and eventually he realizes why—Olly is his mate. Now the four of them need to plan a rescue mission, but what happens when they run into the two men that had held Lex captive and those same men come to the cabin in the middle of the night?

Ryan’s Wizard is the second book in Beany Sparks’ Paws and Magic series. This was one of the few times I started reading a series not in order. I jumped on the second one and I can say it wasn’t hard to follow the story. Still, I suggest you start on Aiden’s Shepherd, it can help you understand better the series, cause Beany created a really great paranormal world with shifters (first time I read about dog shifters), wizards and a funny Granny ghost.

I’m really curious about Lex and Aiden’s story, they’ve got a huge part in this book and I found them very likeable, in particular I loved how Aiden was protective versus his cousin, Olly. It was understandable. Olly had a really shitty past; after years dealing with abuses from his father and brother, he could finally be free and try to build a life with people who love him no matter what. He was still scared of everything and his first meeting with Ryan wasn’t easy, for Ryan too, who saw in Olly the enemy, the one who kidnapped some of his pack members and selling them as guard dogs. They both had a lot going on in their life and I appreciated the author gave depth to these characters.

I think the first part of the book dragged a little. Once Ryan realized he found his mate in Olly and the four of them starts to organized the rescue of all the shifters kidnapped, the story became more interesting. While Olly and Aiden began to working on improve their powers, Ryan and Olly needed to know how to be in a relationship.

It was an enjoyable reading with some new elements that I liked a lot, but I’d have preferred a longer version of the book, maybe just a couple more of chapters at the end. I trust to know more about these characters in the next book. I hope it will be about the fox shifter, he deserves it.

Cover designed by Latrisha Waters: I like it cause it fit the story and I totally can see Ryan and Olly in the cover models.

Sales Links: eXtasy Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy it here

Book details:

Published November 1st 2014 by Extasy Books
ebook, 119 pages
ISBN 978-1-4874-0106-1
edition languageEnglish

Paws and Magic Series:
Aiden’s Shepherd
Ryan’s Wizard

Extasy books

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