Tag: alternate universe

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Shadow Fray (Shadow Fray: Round One) by Bradley Lloyd

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Family is worth fighting for—and family doesn’t always mean blood.

No one knows what calamity poisoned the earth and decimated the human population, but living close to the toxic ground means illness and death. Justin is determined to keep his twin sister and younger brother from that fate—no matter what he has to do. To earn enough to keep his family safe in a high-rise, Justin enlists in a deadly sport called Shadow Fray. He quickly finds himself in over his head, especially when he is scheduled to face the most dangerous player.

Hale—who competes as Black Jim—knows he won’t be on top forever, despite his skills. He fights for a better life for his daughter, but his time is running out as Shadow Fray becomes increasingly lethal. Something about the newest fighter intrigues him, but does he dare defy his masters to investigate? Justin and Hale will clash in the ring, while beyond it the powerful elite and the crumbling world seem determined to keep them apart. If they can find common ground, they might have a chance to fight for their futures.

Shadow Fray (Shadow Fray: Round One) by Bradley Lloyd is a terrific story.  It’s just the sort of book that gets me thinking on so many levels and that’s due primarily to the excellent world building here.  Lloyd has created a future earth where a catastrophic event, now called The Thinning, has raised the water levels globally, sinking all coastal cities and lands, shattering governments, technologies and making the ground so  toxic that anyone who lives on the surface slowly dies, succumbing to a madness and “ground sickness”.  Those left, reformed into inland cities, mainly Chicago where the government is centered.  People live in the high rises left, the higher the floor the better (and the wealthier the people).  Some technologies were saved from the “before times”, so internet, mobile phones, TV (using only the old tapes of shows and movies stored, nothing new has been produced except Shadow Fray games, more on that soon), cars, trucks and even trains are running.   Farms are run again by the large companies like Exxon and DuPont on raised buildings and guarded by drones, as it everything else.   Some people (the Shutters) never leave their condos, the idea being make your living area and building self sufficient.

Women are few and highly regarded, the toxins in the ground having effected reproduction and gender ratio.  People wanting children have produced babies via utero experiments that turn out to be unis, children with both sexes.  They have the ability to choose a sex when older but are barren.  Most choose to be women another interesting element.  Homosexuality is not only not tolerated but outlawed as they are “non breeders” in a world with few children.  This is a hard, toxic world and for many it’s getting worse.

Lloyd makes us believe in this world because so many of the elements are only stages and layers away from what the scientists have been warning will happen with climate change.  The author folds fact with his imaginative world building and its works, horrifically, on so many levels.  In this book, we don’t get the answers as to why it has happened, but Lloyd says we will in the coming stories.

Then there is the Shadow Fray, a martial arts competition that deadly and underground.  Moved from location to location, with only the fighters and handlers in the know (supposedly), there is so much danger and mystery attached here, that the suspense just builds and builds with each chapter with no let up.  That’s because the more we find out about the Shadow Fray and who runs it, the worse it gets and the more mysteries pile up around it.  Amazing.

Then finally there is the forbidden romance between Hale and Justin.  That takes time to set up and become believable.  Remember it’s forbidden here so the men have to come to grips with their homosexuality too.  Every meeting, every touch?  Could be their last.  Plus each character is so beautifully written.  One at the top of his game, teetering on the brink of being pulled down.  The other?  Being pushed to the top of the very increasingly nasty pile.  And all around them are some of the most intriguing cast of secondary  characters you will want to meet from Justin’s twin sister to his non-speaking brother, to Gris and Hale’s tank thug brother too.  I could go on and on about the people here that match the world building.

Which brings me to the ending.  Argh!!!!

In this title, notice it says Round One (not so in other titles).  Well, it sort of ends like the ringing of a bell at the end of a fight.  Round One done.  No completion, nothing brought to an ending. It sort of halts with one character riding off.  To the next story that we are waiting for. Yes, its frustrating.  But I understand from the author it’s already at the publishers so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.

The ending notwithstanding,  Shadow Fray is an excellent gritty, compelling story.  I can’t wait to dive into the second one.  Pick up this one if you love alternate universe’s, dystopian societies, mysteries and romance.  Meet you at the second book!

 

Cover art by  Anna Sikorska is amazing.  I love the details and the model.

Sales Links

Available for Purchase at

 

 

Book Details:

ebook, 284 pages
Expected publication: May 30th 2017 by DSP Publications
ISBN139781635333602
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesShadow Fray #1

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Slow Heat by Leta Blake

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Wowzer! The title says it all for this one, and in fact, the author does a darn good job of putting readers into a slow heat of their own. In a nutshell—it’s a whole new world with fantastic world building, very well-developed main and secondary characters, heartwarming and heartbreaking situations, scorching hot sex, and mega doses of sexual tension. Loved, loved, loved it!

First, the world building—picture a shifter book but without shifters. In this world there’s been a huge change and there are no females. There are only males and they fall into one of three categories: alpha, beta, or omega. The alphas are the top dog, so to speak. It’s their job to find an omega, contract with them, and have sex that will produce children. Yes, mpreg in this world—and in this book! The betas are not sexless, but they don’t reproduce. It appears that most lead fulfilling lives and can pair off into couples, but they don’t have the potential of finding their Erosgape – their true bonded soulmate and the completion of their existence—something only alphas and omegas can have.

Alphas and omegas are separated and attend higher education in different locations. After the basic information is shared, the young alphas and omegas meet at an arranged location. Those who are fortunate meet their Erosgape, those not so fortunate at least make a contracted match. No omegas are allowed on the alpha campus unless they are already mated or too old for a match. At least that’s supposed to be the case.

But when alpha Jason Sabel sees Professor Vale Aman, he’s overtaken by the sight and scent of his Erosgape and literally mauls him in public before he can be restrained. Vale is shocked as he’s already in his mid-thirties and thought to be past the point where he’d ever be claimed. He’s immediately put on sabbatical and confined to home while Jason’s father and pater start the process of investigating Vale prior to making a contract offer.

In this world, the alpha rules; so much so, that Vale really has no voice in leaving his home until the issue is resolved. The good news is that Jason’s family will provide for him financially, but the bad news is that his “baby alpha” is so young and inexperienced. Vale despairs that he will even understand his needs, never mind be able to satisfy Vale when he goes into his next brutally sexual heat. Only Jason’s knot will be able to help him through it, but Vale may not have a chance to even contract with him before it comes on.

Honestly, it’s difficult to be able to describe this story without explaining the world these men find themselves in. The story is very long and completely packed full of information, slow burn-UST, burn-up-the-page sexual situations, and tender, loving care—not just by the MCs but by the other couples in the story, including Jason’s own father and pater.

There is no way I’d consider giving this story anything less than 5 stars. It’s totally different from the norm, very well thought out, has extremely engaging characters, interesting life backgrounds and past experiences, and hot, sweet love. Readers will simply have to trust in the author, who always delivers a poignant story, IMHO, and other reviewers, all of whom seem to be highly impressed by this story. I won’t go on and on, though if I get you in a corner at a conference, I may babble until you can’t wait to escape! Don’t hesitate to buy this one. Now!

Important information from the blurb: This is a standalone gay romance novel, 118,000 words, with a strong happy ending, as well as a well-crafted, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. Content warning for pregnancy loss and aftermath.

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The cover is a beautiful photo representing the older and younger MCs. The cover artist is not listed, although the author credits the creativity of Annabeth Albert for giving her input.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 436 pages
Published May 16th 2017 by Leta Blake Books
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Free Dreamer Review: The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

The Starving Years right coverImagine a world without hunger. In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world’s cupboards, pantries and larders.

Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He’s a food scientist—according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he’s been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his exorbitantly priced migraine medication.

In a job fair gone bad, Nelson hooks up with copywriter Javier and his computer-geek pal Tim, who whisks them away from the worst of the fiasco in his repurposed moving truck. At least, Nelson thinks those two are acquainted, but they’re acting so evasive about it, he’s not sure how they know each other, exactly.

Javier is impervious to Nelson’s flirting, and Tim’s name could appear in the dictionary under the entry for “awkward.” And with a riot raging through Manhattan and yet another headache coming on, it doesn’t seem like Nelson will get an answer anytime soon. One thing’s for sure, the tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife…even one of those dull plastic dealies that come in the package with Mannariffic EZ-Mealz.

When reading the blurb for this book, I’d hoped for a well-developed dystopian story that happens to have gay MCs. Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite live up to my hopes.

The thing that bothered me the most was the severe lack of world building. There’s manna, some sort of artificial food thing. Almost everybody eats that stuff instead of real food. We never do find out why this became so popular, nor do we find out what it’s made of or how it is produced. That’s a real shame, because the concept was certainly very interesting.

Another thing was the whole thing about a man “putting his mark” on a (pregnant) woman. It seems to be a big deal and very important and yet we never learn the how and the why. Apparently not having a father for your child is a huge thing in this society, but the author failed to explain why.

Overall, the story could have used a bit more depth. All three MCs were thinking with their dicks a little too much for my taste. And the love was a bit too insta for me. But at least the sex was hot.

All three MCs had an interesting past. They could have used a bit more depth too, though.

The plot was engaging and a nice change from your run of the mill m/m romance plot. There actually was a real plot here. Some revelations were a bit foreseeable but overall I definitely wasn’t bored.

All in all, “The Starving Years” had a little too much romance for me and too little actual depth and world building. The plot and the MCs were interesting though, and I felt well entertained.

If you’re looking for M/M romance with a bit of a dystopian feel to it, you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did, since I’d hoped for a solid dystopia with a bit of romance.

Cover: The cover by Jordan Castillo Price shows a man with duct tape over his mouth. Judging by the cover alone, I’d almost expect a BDSM story. I don’t think I would have checked this out, if I hadn’t seen an edition with a different cover first.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book details:

ebook, 286 pages
Published March 5th 2012 by JCP Books LLC (first published March 3rd 2012)
ISBN139781935540434
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttp://jordancastilloprice.com/starvingyears/index.html settingNew York (United States)

In the Spotlight: The Balance (The Eternal Dungeon #3) by Dusk Peterson (excerpt and contest)

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The Balance (The Eternal Dungeon #3) by Dusk Peterson
 Release Date: April 11, 2016 (reissue)

Goodreads Link
 Publisher: Love In Dark Settings Press
Cover Artist: Dusk Peterson

Blurb

“‘The Eternal Dungeon is my home now,’ the High Seeker said. But as he spoke, he lifted his face and looked at the Vovimian carving, as a man might look at a beloved he must leave forever.”

The Seekers (torturers) in the Eternal Dungeon have always expressed contempt toward the Hidden Dungeon in the neighboring kingdom of Vovim, whose torturers abuse prisoners without restraint. But the balance between mercy and hell is not so clear as might be thought in either dungeon, and now that balance is about to tip. Only the strength of love and integrity will determine the paths of two Seekers whose fortunes are bound together.

A winner of the 2011 Rainbow Awards (within the “Eternal Dungeon” omnibus), this tale of love and adventure can be read on its own or as the third volume in The Eternal Dungeon, a speculative fiction series set in a nineteenth-century prison where the psychologists wield whips.

The Eternal Dungeon series is part of Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of alternate history series (Young Toughs, Waterman, Life Prison, Commando, Michael’s House, The Eternal Dungeon, and Dark Light) about adults and youths on the margins of society, and the people who love them. Set in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times. As a result, the New World retains certain classical and medieval customs.

 

Pages or Words: 90,000 words
Can be read as a standalone
 Categories: Alternate Universe, Gay Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Queergender

Excerpt

He had awoken, on that day after, to find himself lying alone in bed.

It had all been a dreaming, then: the promise of everlasting love, the passion that had followed upon that promise, the warmth of Elsdon’s body – and more importantly, the warmth of his companionship. Layle had expected it to happen one day: his dreamings had become so real that he had begun to believe them.

The bedsprings creaked.

He reacted automatically, which meant he reacted violently. Reaching toward the only loose object at hand – the night-table next to the bed – he grasped it by its leg, wrenched it from the floor, and had begun to swing it toward the intruder before he checked himself in time.

He opened his eyes. Elsdon, fully clothed and hooded but with his face-cloth raised, sat beside him. He looked, Layle realized with amazement, more amused than fearful.

“By all that is sacred,” Elsdon said, speaking the mildest of oaths, “is this how you always greet your love-mates upon awakening?”

Layle slowly lowered the night-table, feeling the blood thunder within his body. “I’ve never had a love-mate before who slept with me.”

“I can see why, if this is how you wake from your sleep.”

Layle slowly raised himself into a sitting position. Elsdon was still smiling, he noted with growing incredulity. The Seeker-in-Training had made a joke about the fact that Layle was a killer born.

Buy the book

http://duskpeterson.com/eternaldungeon/#thebalance

Universal / Global Amazon – http://myBook.to/TheBalance_DPeterson
BN – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-balance-dusk-peterson/1115247368
kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-balance-the-eternal-dungeon-volume-3
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/balance-eternal-dungeon-volume/id1102706878?mt=11
smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/629188

 

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Meet the Author

Honored in the Rainbow Awards, Dusk Peterson writes historical adventure tales that are speculative fiction: alternate history, historical fantasy, and retrofuture science fiction, including lgbtq novels and young adult fiction. Friendship, family affection, faithful service, and romance often occur in the stories. A resident of Maryland, Mx. Peterson lives with an apprentice and several thousand books.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, A.M. Leibowitz, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Full Moon Dreaming, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, My Fiction Nook, Jessie G. Books, MM Good Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Charley Descoteaux, MM Book Escape, Bonkers About Books, Velvet Panic, The Hat Party, Outrageous Heroes, Open Skye Book Reviews

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: An e-copy of “Life Prison.”  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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Dive Back into the Magical AURA Fantasy Series with Kellen’s Awakening (AURA #3) by Bellora Quinn and Angel Martinez

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Kellen’s Awakening (AURA #3) by Bellora Quinn and Angel Martinez
 Release Date: May 3, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Cover Artist: Emmy Ellis

Blurb

The staff at AURA has had a busy summer. Between chronic understaffing, dealing with warring goblin factions and an unusual number of hazardous Events, everyone is overworked. Sinistrus the incubus, newly hired as an AURA medic, actually enjoys his busy new life of responsible employee and faithful lover to his gorgeous police sergeant, Ness the centaur. Life would be perfect, except for a niggling suspicion about a colleague. Everyone else seems to disagree, but Sin’s certain something’s not right with that pixie.

Kellen, a pixie crossover, loves his job working in AURA medical, even if he is something of an outsider. His job and the friends he manages to make are happy spots in an otherwise dark and secretive life. As the rest of AURA tries to discover the root of the inexplicable rise in violence and large scale Events, Kellen fights to preserve his own life and what dignity he has left.

These two unlikely heroes must put their differences aside and navigate tragedy and ever-escalating disaster together in order to stop the sinister forces that hold Kellen in thrall.

 

Pages or Words: 69,000 words
Series should be read in order
 Categories: Alternate Universe, Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

 Special Excerpt

Tenzin glanced up at the clock and realized the time had gotten away from him. He kissed Kai’s cheek and gathered up their lunch things. “I’m sorry, love. I have an interview and must be off. New medic, I’m hoping.”

Kai made shooing motions with both hands. “Go, go. I hope this one works out better than the last three.”

The last three had been human, one hopelessly underqualified, one perhaps not entirely comfortable being interviewed by a yeti and the third hiding pernicious bigotry behind a bright smile. The one today was reported to be a pixie, and Tenzin wasn’t disappointed when he found the slender, fidgeting slip of an applicant waiting in the elevator lobby.

“Hello, there.” Tenzin extended a hand. “I’m Tenzin, the medical department supervisor. You must be Kellen?”

“Yes. I am. Nice to meet you.” He shook his hand, brief but firm.

“Come into the department. We’ll talk in one of the empty patient rooms.” Tenzin led the way, pleased that the pixie hadn’t flinched at his appearance. When they had settled, Tenzin on the little plastic chair in the room, Kellen on the rolling stool, he leafed through the interview file and began. “Why don’t you start by telling me about your prior experience.”

“I don’t have a lot of experience, yet.” Kellen answered. “The placement counselor asked about my skills when I crossed over and thought I might do best working in some way for AURA. I couldn’t pass the test for enforcement, and I didn’t think research was a good fit, so I asked to take the classes for medical.”

Tenzin tried hard not to frown. “I see. You do seem to have passed the classes with good academic scores. What did you do in your past life? Before you crossed over?”

“Well, I would have probably become a soldier eventually. Most of us do. I wasn’t old enough to join the ranks though. I was good at organizing things.”

Even without his wings out Kellen seemed to droop a bit, perhaps realizing that he wasn’t exactly painting a stellar picture of his skill set. While Tenzin didn’t disbelieve the revelation about pixie soldiers as someone else might have, he had experience with fierce flower fairies after all, he had the feeling something was off here.

“Organization is important in a medical department,” Tenzin said gently. “What sorts of things did you organize?”

“Nectar and honey, mostly.”

“Ah, food supplies. For your family?”

“For the colony. See, the collection squads were always going to the closest hives and groves first, and by the time anyone got to the outer reaches the fruit would be over ripe, or some of the neighboring colonies had poached the farthest hives. So I set up a rotation, so they went out to collect more evenly. Our stores increased almost thirty percent.”

Tenzin nodded. “That’s very resourceful.”

He didn’t need another trainee, he needed someone who could step into the breach, as it were. But Kellen seemed like such a sincere, intelligent individual, Tenzin didn’t want him to slip through the cracks. He was trying desperately to think of a solution when the air above his head erupted in chittering from whirling colorful beings. His troop of flower fairies zipped around his head, chattering with such agitation he couldn’t understand them. A blur of pink hovered in front of his nose, Brianna pointing sternly at the flower fairies by his right shoulder.

“Oh, dear. How did this happen?” Briac and Tara cradled sapphire-blue Timon between them, his wing bent at an impossible angle. “It’s alright, it’s alright little ones. We’ll set it. I think perhaps some surgical tape will hold it in place.”

Kellen made a small sound and Tenzin looked over at him to see him shaking his head. “Not tape. The wing membrane needs to breathe, and the adhesive might tear the wing when it’s removed. A gauze wrap would be best.”

The words were soft, almost apologetic, as if Kellen were afraid to contradict him. Brianna scolded, telling Tenzin she would’ve told him the same thing, but he held up a finger to halt her.

“Very sensible. Would you like to do it, Kellen? Supplies are in the cabinet there.”

Rather than answer Kellen simply set to work. With a roll of gauze and some cotton swabs he used forceps and scissors to fashion a tiny flexible cast and sling to hold the wing immobile and support it from below. Timon sat still for him on the table while the rest of the troop alternately hovered or landed on Kellen’s head and shoulders while he worked. He hummed soothingly under his breath when he set the wing in place, while his fingers worked oh-so-delicately on the fragile wing.

Tenzin blinked in surprise. Not that he’d spent much time with pixies, but he didn’t expect the healing song like the ones the elf healers used. He glanced at Brianna who gave him a nod and glowed in approval. The youngster didn’t have much field experience, but, goddess knew he needed someone with knowledge of wing membranes. Timon flexed his uninjured wing and let out a little chirping sigh, obviously relieved when Kellen had finished.

“Well then.” Tenzin picked Timon up and let him nestle into his shoulder fur. “I only have one question left. Do you have issues working with any race or species?”

“No. We’re all in this together now, aren’t we. I just want to be able to help people.”

There was a lie in there somewhere, or perhaps an omission, but Tenzin felt confident they could deal with whatever the obstacle was if it came up. “So when can you start?”

 

Buy the book:  Pride Publishing

 

RC

 

 

 

Meet the authors:

Angel Martinez

The unlikely black sheep of an ivory tower intellectual family, Angel Martinez has managed to make her way through life reasonably unscathed. Despite a wildly misspent youth, she snagged a degree in English Lit, married once and did it right the first time, (same husband for almost twenty-four years) gave birth to one amazing son, (now in college) and realized at some point that she could get paid for writing.

Published since 2006, Angel’s cynical heart cloaks a desperate romantic. You’ll find drama and humor given equal weight in her writing and don’t expect sad endings. Life is sad enough.

She currently lives in Delaware in a drinking town with a college problem and writes Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around gay heroes.

Bellora Quinn

Originally hailing from Detroit Michigan, Bellora now resides on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida where a herd of Dachshunds keeps her entertained. She got her start in writing at the dawn of the internet when she discovered PbEMs (Play by email) and found a passion for collaborative writing and steamy hot erotica. Soap Opera like blogs soon followed and eventually full novels.

The majority of her stories are in the M/M genre with urban fantasy or paranormal settings and many with a strong BDSM flavour.

Where to find the authors:

Facebook:

Facebook Author Page:

Twitter:

  • @BelloraQ
  • @AngelMartinezrr

Pinterest:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

3-May: Oh My Shelves, The Novel Approach

4-May: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, My Fiction Nook

5-May: Love Bytes, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, A.M. Leibowitz

6-May: Havan Fellows. MM Good Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog

9-May: Prism Book Alliance, Bayou Book Junkie, Nephy Hart

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Pride Publishing gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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In Our Spotlight: Mate Me, Hate Me, Date Me, Love Me (Unexpected #3) by Chris McHart

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Mate Me, Hate Me, Date Me, Love Me (Unexpected #3) by Chris McHart
Release Date: April 27, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Rawmance Publishing
Cover Artist: Chris McHart

 

Blurb

When his father, King Harold, forces Prince Gerome to mate a complete stranger in order to save his unborn child, he complies with a heavy heart and says goodbye to all his dreams of finding love. Gerome’s hurt and treats his mate the way he’s been taught all his life: through power and submission. But with Luis, it doesn’t work.

When Luis is mated off to a stranger, his world ends. He was a carefree student one day and the next a vampire prince demands his submission. He can’t run, but he can hide and hate in silence. So he withdraws until only a shell remains.

Neither of the men has any chance of finding love together until a friend intervenes. Can Gerome forget what he’s been taught all his life, and is it possible for Luis to forget what’s happened to him? Will they ever find their own happy ending? Or can love blossom where only hate exists?

 

Pages or Words: 85,500 words
Can be read as a standalone, but would make more sense if you read the others, too.
Categories: Alternate Universe, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

 

Excerpt

Excerpt Mate Me, Hate Me, Date Me, Love Me

Luis’ mother turned to him and took his hand with her cold one. Her beautiful blue eyes sought his, and she visibly took a deep breath. “I have to tell you something. Please hear me out before you say anything.”

Luis swallowed hard. What would come now? His hands were clammy, but he could only wipe one on his jeans as his mother still held the other. Luis stared at her face and tried to figure out what was wrong. Something bad happened. Something really bad. Blood pulsed in his ears while he waited for his mother or father to speak again.

“The Vampire King from Munich visited us yesterday. He had a proposal for us. His son, Gerome, needs a mate. He’s seen the picture of you at the coven meeting from a few months ago and thinks you’d be a good match. The prince is going to take over the crown soon, and he needs a mate by his side. You, to be specific.” His mother paused and tightened her hold on his hand. “I agreed. A mating to the prince will bring a lot of power to our coven. And the king paid us a good deal of money for the match.”

“You what?” Luis yelled, trying to pull his hand back, but his mother held him tightly. He jumped up from his seat and tried to yank away from his mother’s grasp. What the fuck were they thinking? They had to be kidding. He was not going to mate some guy he never met. They were totally crazy. Nuts.

His mother didn’t relent, firmly keeping his hand in her grip.

“Let me go! I won’t mate someone you picked! What do you think you’re doing?” His voice cracked, but his mother didn’t even flinch.

“Calm down. You knew this was coming. Everyone gets mated. It’s the way things are done,” his mother said calmly, even though her fingers still dug into Luis’ hand. It hurt, but he couldn’t focus on that now. He needed to get away before they married him off. His mind raced, turning over possibilities. He couldn’t simply mate someone. What if he ran away and hid? Would one of his friends help him to lay low? If the king wanted him as a mate for his son, would hiding help at all? Or would they find him?

Buy the Book

 

AllRomance | Amazon  | Amazon UK  | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon CA

 

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Meet the Author:

Chris McHart lives in Germany, with her husband, slave, Dom, partner in crime, and muse (all in one person, not even she’s that kinky!). She loves her husband, men in kilts and Scotch Whisky. Her idea of a perfect evening is to curl up with her laptop and write (the other options are not suitable to post in public).

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Alpha Book Club, Kirsty Loves Books, Happily Ever Chapter,

MM Good Book Reviews, Gay Media Reviews, BFD Book Blog, My Fiction Nook, Mikky’s World of Books,

A.M. Leibowitz, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Book Lovers 4Ever, Molly Lolly, Jessie G. Books, Havan Fellows,

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Oh My Shelves, Caraway Carter, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words,

Bayou Book Junkie, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Open Skye Book Reviews, Unquietly Me,

Velvet Panic, Outrageous Heroes

Final

 Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: (2) Print copies of ‘Mate Me, Hate Me, Date Me, Love Me’ by Christ McHart. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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In the Fantasy Spotlight: Victory Portrait (Pride of Uttor #4) by Tali Spencer (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

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Victory Portrait (Pride of Uttor #4) by Tali Spencer
 Release Date: April 6, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Resplendence Publishing
Cover Artist: Melody Pond

Today Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is very lucky to be interviewing Tali Spencer, author of Victory Portrait.   Hi Tali, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

  • Tell us something no one else knows about your characters.

Darius Arrento has been intimate with his emperor, and friend, Gaspar Leonnte. It happened when Darius was 25 and Gaspar was 19 or 20. Darius was a young officer given his first command and Gaspar was assigned to his unit. The legion’s general knew Gaspar was the Uttoran emperor’s son, except he didn’t pass along that information.

Gaspar was a terrible soldier, horrible. He couldn’t obey orders to save his life. Worse, if he started talking, he didn’t know when to shut up. Darius was ready to strangle him the first night. After a battle in which both men barely escaped with their skins, Darius and Gaspar gave in to a kiss and a night of oral sex. They connected more than once, in no small part due to being young, horny, and having no other outlets.

You heard it here first.

  • Have you ever written something that made you cry?

I cried when I wrote a hurt-comfort scene in one of my epic high fantasy novels. A king had just lost his adult son. The young man who seeks to comfort the king has considered him an enemy throughout the entire book to that point, but he can no longer do so, and the scene is very tender.

I was writing that scene on a terrible day when I thought maybe my oldest son had died. (He hadn’t…and called me after several hours. It was 9/11.) That scene still makes me cry when I read it.

  • Have you ever co-written with someone before?

Non-fiction, yes. Fiction, no. Some authors are very social and thrive on the energy of writing with other authors. I have the habits of a recluse: silent, secretive, and annoying. It’s a miracle I have a happy marriage. I’d be surprised if another author could put up with me.

  • What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

Promotion. But that’s more about being an author than the writing, so…I would say I find it most difficult to end a story on a strong note. Even if I know where a story has to end, I’m never quite satisfied with my closing line. I want something memorable, definite, and profound. Haven’t managed to write one of those yet.

  • Name your four most important food groups.

Coffee, coffee, chocolate, coffee, and dairy. Kahlua counts as coffee. Dairy means creamer. I’m pretty sure I don’t like coffee at all. It’s all about the creamer.

Thank you, Tali.  Now more about

Victory Portrait (Pride of Uttor #4) by Tali Spencer

Blurb

Imperial captive and former Sebboyan prince Peta Kordeun has one great wish: to meet Darius Arrento, conqueror of his country and a man he has idolized since childhood. That wish comes true the day the Uttoran emperor assigns Peta to assist the artist who will be painting the great general’s official portrait.

General Darius Arrento would rather take a crossbow bolt through his flesh than sit for a portrait, until his friend the emperor forces his hand. The notorious artist, Brazzi, uses semen and other sexual fluids to bind his colors—and Arrento is captivated by the artist’s pretty helper. Before long he is driven to possess the gorgeous young man who draws battle maps and whose naïve charm has won more hearts in Uttor than Arrento has won battles.

When Arrento learns that Peta, the slave he covets and wants for his own, is one of the despised Kordeun princes, he storms from Uttor toward a far corner of the empire—where he quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot to tear Uttor’s empire apart. His emotions and loyalties frayed, the great Arrento is in the battle of his life…and Peta may hold the key to his survival.

 

Pages or Words: 78,600 words
 Categories: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

“You want me to assist the painter. Only that?” Peta asked.

“Yes. I just want you to understand you will be naked and…Brazzi will want you to be sexually aroused.”

“What?”

“It’s what Brazzi does. Not for himself—not unless you’re a woman—but for his method. He was tried three years ago on charges of obscenity because he uses…sexual fluids for mixing his paint. He truly is a genius. His colors are astonishing.”

“And you want Arrento to see me like that? Naked and…being used?”

“No.” Gaspar was being firm. “I want a portrait of my general. And I happen to think that the sight of you will keep his ass firmly planted for whatever sittings the painter requires. You see, Darius has one weakness—only one. He cannot resist a thing of beauty—and you, my pretty slave, are the most breathtaking young man I have ever had the privilege to look upon.”

Peta flushed. Gaspar wasn’t smiling. The man was serious.

Could he do it? Did he want to do it? Peta knew he was pretty. His looks had blessed and cursed him all his life. His beauty had attracted Kesme as a fellow cadet and was what Kesme had praised that last night when they’d made love…and Peta’s face was what Lukacz, his own father, had sought to destroy, thinking that doing so would release him from predation and unnatural desires. And now Gaspar, too, wanted only one thing…

“Just sit there and look pretty,” he said, heart sinking as he grasped what Gaspar was asking him to do.

“Only if you’re willing. I’m not completely oblivious to what this sort of service might entail. It could be rather…awkward. On the other hand, it might not be for long. Darius can be stubborn. It’s possible he won’t show up.”

And just as possible that he would.

Peta wanted to say no but he could not get his mouth to form the word. He might never get another chance to see Arrento, perhaps hear his voice. Be in the same room with him.

He’d be silent…naked…terribly exposed even in his utter worship.

But he would at least be able to say he had seen the great man.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Buy the book

Resplendence Publishing | Amazon | ARe

 

RC

 

Meet the author:

Tali Spencer delights in erotic fantasy and adventure, creating worlds where she can explore the heights and shadows of sexual passion. A hopeful romantic and lover of all things exotic, she also writes high fantasy and science fiction. If you would like to see inspiration pictures for her characters, or glimpse how she envisions her worlds, check out her Pinterest boards.

Thanks to a restless father, she grew up as a bit of a nomad and still loves to travel whenever she can. Her longest stint in one place was Milwaukee where she went to college, enjoyed a series of interesting careers, and raised three surprisingly well-adjusted sons. She later married her true love and put down new roots in Philadelphia, where she lives in an ongoing Italian American family sitcom. At least she’s learned how make good pasta. When not writing, Tali reads everything from sweet goofy romances to medical research, manages her fantasy football team—go Gekkos!—and takes long walks with her loving, if slightly neurotic, poodle.

Tali’s other books include the three preceding Uttor books: Captive Heart, Dangerous Beauty, and Adored, all with Resplendence. Her gay male high fantasy stories, Thick as Thieves, Sorcerer’s Knot, and The Prince of Winds, are published by Dreamspinner Press. She often posts free stories and excerpts on her blog.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

18-Apr: Prism Book Alliance

19-Apr: Decadent Delights

20-Apr: Bonkers About Books, Full Moon Dreaming

21-Apr: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

22-Apr: Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

25-Apr: The Novel Approach, Happily Ever Chapter

26-Apr: BFD Book Blog

27-Apr: My Fiction Nook

28-Apr: Bayou Book Junkie, V’s Reads

29-Apr: Oh My Shelves

2-May: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Book Lovers 4Ever

3-May: Kirsty Loves Books, Open Skye Book Reviews

4-May: Alpha Book Club

5-May: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

6-May: Molly Lolly

9-May: A.M. Leibowitz

10-May: Divine Magazine

11-May: Love Bytes, Man2ManTastic, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat

12-May: Andrew Q. Gordon, Nephy Hart, Rebecca Cohen Writes

13-May: Louise Lyons, MM Good Book Reviews

Final

Giveaway

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A Free Dreamer Review: The Empty Hourglass (Deal with a Devil) by Cornelia Grey

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

The Empty HourglassThomas Escott has always wanted to be a toymaker, yet just as he achieves his dream, an accident claims his right hand. He’s certain his life is over—until he hears about groundbreaking prosthetics being made by a reclusive inventor.

Jethro Hastings is perfectly content to live alone up in the mountains working on a secret masterpiece: a humanoid automaton that will change the scientific community forever. He’s behind schedule, and the date of the unveiling is fast approaching, so when Thomas shows up on his doorstep offering help in exchange for a mechanical hand, Jethro agrees. Time, after all, is running out on another deal he’s made: one with the devil.

The devil gives Jethro’s inventions life, but he can just as quickly take life away—Jethro’s, to be exact. As the sand in the devil’s hourglass falls, marking the time until the end of the deal, inventions go haywire, people get hurt, and Thomas realizes he needs Jethro just as much as his prosthetic. Now he must find a way to save Jethro’s soul, but negotiating with a devil is just as difficult as it sounds.

Review: First of all, while this is part of a series, “The Empty Hourglass” is a stand alone. Every book set in the “Deal with a Devil” universe can be read independently. They only have one minor character in common.

I was really looking forward to this book. I absolutely loved the first short story of this universe, “Devil at the Crossroads”, and “The Circus of the Damned” was pretty good too. And when there was a promise of a freaky, steampunky prosthetic, I was ecstatic. Apparently I have a real thing for that. Anyway, my expectations were very high and unfortunately the book couldn’t quite live up to them.

I liked that Thomas was a bit of an underdog. I would’ve liked to read more about his background, though. It’s not every day you meet somebody who grew up on the streets and then turned into a toy maker of all things in your M/M books. That could have made for a really interesting story, but unfortunately the author didn’t really use that potential.

Jethro is your typical eccentric inventor: Kind of grumpy and a bit of a weird loner, but with a good heart and a tragic past to boot. His characterization was a little shallow, leaving him with little depth and a lot of stereotypes.

One of the reasons why I loved the other two books in this universe is the sex. Cornelia Grey can write incredibly sensual, delightfully different sex scenes. Unfortunately, this time she chose to leave the sex non-explicit, which is a real shame. I usually don’t mind fade-to-black scenes, but I was really looking forward to how and if the author would incorporate the prosthetic. That unfortunately didn’t happen here and I was a little disappointed, to be honest.

I loved that Cornelia Grey actually decided to have a real ghost show up. I’ve never seen a similar take on ghosts and mysticism. That was really well done. But again, a little more detail would have been really nice.

The world building was unfortunately rather lacking. There’s talk about a big war that happened a few years back. Thomas was even recruited as an engineer and the experience seems to have left some deep impressions. There are also a lot of veterans who were injured during said war. However, we never do find out any details about the war. Who fought against whom? And why? For how long? And so on. I really expected more details since it played such an important role in the story.

The ending felt a little forced, as if the author realized she had to write a happy end of some sort and hastily came up with a magical solution for it all.

Overall, this was the weakest book of the series so far. It lacked in details and didn’t even have any of Grey’s usually sizzling hot sex scenes. It seems like the series gets weaker with every new book the author writes. A shame, because “Devil at the Crossroads” was simply amazing. But now I finally want a book solely about Farfarello, the devil everybody’s making deals with.

Cover: I don’t particularly like the cover by Jay Asher. It doesn’t really fit with the other two books, which have absolutely gorgeous covers. There’s just too much brown for my liking and the picture looks kind of blurry.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon  other links to  come

Book details:

ebook, 264 pages
Expected publication: April 9th 2016 by Riptide Publishing
Original TitleThe Empty Hourglass
ISBN139781626493933
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDeal with a Devil

Love Alternative Romance? Don’t Miss Out On Dusk Peterson’s ‘Rebirth’ (Excerpt and Giveaway)

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Rebirth (The Eternal Dungeon # 1) by Dusk Peterson
 Release Date: February, 2016

Goodreads Link
 Publisher: Love in Dark Settings Press
Cover Artist: Dusk Peterson

Blurb

“‘This prisoner deserves special treatment.’ The hooded man looked over at the young man again.”

Elsdon Taylor, a prisoner accused of committing a terrible murder. Layle Smith, a torturer with a terrible past. Their meeting in the Eternal Dungeon appears certain to bring out the worst in both men.

Yet neither man is quite what he appears. As the prisoner and his torturer begin to be drawn toward each other, the ripple effects of their meeting will have a powerful impact on other inhabitants of the Eternal Dungeon: Layle’s faithful guard, struggling to contain his doubts. A younger guard determined to take any shortcuts necessary to ensure that his life follows the path he has already chosen. An old love from Layle’s past, still sorrowing. And most of all, a prisoner who has not yet arrived at the Eternal Dungeon, but whose fate will depend on how Layle handles Elsdon Taylor . . . and on how Elsdon handles Layle Smith.

A winner of the 2011 Rainbow Awards (within the “The Eternal Dungeon” omnibus), this tale of love and adventure can be read on its own or as the first volume in The Eternal Dungeon, a speculative fiction series set in a nineteenth-century prison where the psychologists wield whips.

The Eternal Dungeon series is part of Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of alternate history series (Waterman, Life Prison, Commando, Michael’s House, The Eternal Dungeon, and Dark Light) about adults and youths on the margins of society, and the people who love them. Set in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times. As a result, the New World retains certain classical and medieval customs.

 

Pages or Words: 130,000 words
 Categories: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Historical

Excerpt:

“Do you have any questions?” the Seeker asked. “About the routine of the dungeon? The times you will be fed? The questions you will be asked? The instruments of torture I use?”

The faintness went beyond Elsdon’s voice this time and entered his body. He could feel the sweat upon his skin; he wondered whether he had turned white. He blurted out, “What if I’m innocent?”

The Seeker’s gaze did not waver. “If you are innocent, then I trust that our time together will be short. I would far rather find a prisoner innocent than guilty; too many prisoners are sent to us, and the quicker that we can release them from here, the better. If your release is to the lighted world rather than to the executioner, it is likely to come more quickly. But we are commissioned by the Queen to ascertain the truth of accusations of death-sentence crimes, and we are committed to fulfill that commission. Please don’t waste my time with false pleas of innocence, Mr. Taylor. It will only make our time together more difficult.”

Buy the book:

http://duskpeterson.com/eternaldungeon/#rebirth

 

 

Meet the author:

Honored in the Rainbow Awards, Dusk Peterson writes historical adventure tales that are speculative fiction: alternate history, historical fantasy, and retrofuture science fiction, including lgbtq novels and other types of diverse fiction. Friendship, family affection, faithful service, and romance often occur in the stories. A resident of Maryland, Mx. Peterson lives with an apprentice and several thousand books. Visit duskpeterson.com for e-books and free fiction.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Jessie G. Books, MM Good Book Reviews, Sassygirl Books, Oh My Shelves,

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Full Moon Dreaming, Bayou Book Junkie, The Hat Party, BFD Book Blog,

Kirsty Loves Books, The Jena Wade, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Book Lovers 4Ever, Outrageous Heroes,

Wake Up Your Wild Side, Mikky’s World of Books, Nephy Hart, Inked Rainbow Reads, Velvet Panic

 

Giveaway

Enter to win. Must be 18 years of age or older. Link and prize provided by Pride Promotions.

 

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