Tag: An Alisa Recommended Story

An Alisa Review: Different Dynamics by Tamir Drake

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

 

Richard doesn’t mind being an omega; all he cares about is playing good hockey, even though it means ignoring the media that tries to rip him apart for it. They don’t think omegas should be allowed on the ice, but he gets along fine. He’s team captain. He can play with the best of them.

 

The one sticking point is his heats; Richard might be on suppressants, but he’s one of the unlucky ones who still gets a heat every four months or so. They suck to deal with, especially alone, but seeking out a heat partner isn’t an option. The PR nightmare alone keeps him from any kind of hook-up. He can’t risk it. Hockey is all he’s got.

 

When Richard’s heat comes early while his team is on a roadie, teammate and best friend James helps him out of a bad situation. Tired of hurting, Richard decides it’s better not to go it alone. And James is safe and warm; he’s a great alpha who knows just what Richard needs. When Richard also imprints on big, bad rival player, Dmitry Sokolov? There’s sweet comfort in a three-way with lots of knotting and dirty talk.

 

Richard might be on cloud nine.

 

I really liked this story.  Considering Richard is an omega he knows next to nothing about his own biology other than the fact that he still gets heats even with the suppressants.  He has never had anyone to help him through his heats before and isn’t sure what to do about how he is feeling but with James and then also Dmitry they are able to take care of him.

 

Richard has always had to keep his guard up and protect himself from the nay sayers, but watching him finally have the opportunity to give up his control and let James and Dmitry take care and protect him was wonderful.  This story is told from Richard’s viewpoint so we can see his confusion and helplessness when it comes to how this heat reacts to his medicine and hormones.  James and Dmitry make it clear that they want to be there for Richard in the future in which Richard is hopeful for, but there is mention about both of them having to be there for heats and Dmitry doesn’t live near Richard and James.  I’m not sure if it can change by heat or if he will continue to need both of them if they continue their relationship.

 

Cover art by Natasha Snow is great and gives us a great visual of Richard.

 

Sales Links: Nine Star Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 63 pages

Published: June 26, 2017 by Nine Star Press

ISBN: 9781947139329

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Admiring Jesse by Shawn Lane

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Jesse is used to Valentine’s Day passing without finding his own sweetheart. But suddenly he starts receiving gifts from a secret admirer.

 

With encouragement from his too-sexy roommate, Gilbert, Jesse opens himself to the idea that someone is actually interested in him. Though he has doubts, Jesse can’t help but wonder if his admirer could finally be the man of his dreams.

 

This was such a sweet short story.  Jesse can’t see how anyone would really be attracted to him let alone how he would have a secret admirer, however his admirer seems to know all of his favorite things.  Gilbert is encouraging and I loved when he revealed himself to Jesse and explained his feeling for Jesse to see that it was real.  It was wonderful to see them still together in the future and continuing to build a life together.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is a sweet picture and is perfect for this story.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 24 pages

Published: 2nd edition June 17, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634864008

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Black Magic Glitterbomb by Sage C. Holloway

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Benji Seung is not one of the good guys. He commands dark magic; he looks out for himself before all else; he kills rival mages and steals their coffee makers. Life is good–or at least as good as it’s going to get for a guy whose soul grows more tainted with every passing day.

 

Everything changes when he accidentally rescues Kit, a wide-eyed young man down on his luck and living on the streets. With serious reservations but no better options than to leave Kit at the mercy of the elements, Benji takes him in and then can only watch as ominous events around them gain traction.

 

With an unknown adversary gunning for him, and Kit in the line of fire, the last thing Benji should be thinking about is romance, but he finds it impossible to resist the carefree troublemaker. Together, these two fight for their lives against black magic, diabolical schemes, and evil cupcakes.

 

This was a good story.  Benji is just a mess of contradictions, he practices black magic but refuses to do blood magic which is the worst of all and from the beginning he will do anything to protect Kit from other magic users.  Kit is quite innocent and accepting but will stand his ground on what he wants.

 

We see this story from Benji’s point of view, so we can see how he struggles to accept help let alone allow Kit a place in his life.  He was hurt when his ex, the man who got him into magic, left him with no word.  We see as his walls begin to breakdown and accept Kit into his world but he is lucky that Kit is so open and accepting because he still isn’t quite sure what to do about it.  For the “seriousness” of the threat against Benji (and now Kit) this story was quite light hearted, which was just the kind of thing I was looking for when I read this.

 

Cover art by Natasha Snow is beautiful and gives a great picture of Benji.

 

Sales Links: Loose Id | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 91 pages

Published: May 29, 2017 by Loose Id

ISBN: 9781682523438

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: That Alien Feeling by Alessandra Hazard

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Banished by his parents to the third planet in the Sol system, Prince Harht’ngh’chaali of the Second Grand Clan is completely fascinated by its inhabitants. Assuming the human name “Harry,” he tries to pass for a human to survive, but being human is so much harder than Harry expected. Humans are so confusing.

 

Adam Crawford isn’t looking for love. Financially secure and good-looking, he’s in a good place in his life. He doesn’t mean to fall in love with the quirky guy working at the coffee shop near his office. Harry is ridiculous—and ridiculously endearing. He wears ugly shirts and flowers in his hair, and he has a kind word for everyone. Adam falls hard and fast.

 

Little does he know that Harry isn’t what he seems and anything between them is impossible.

 

Star-crossed love between a human man and an alien prince from a world half a galaxy away.

 

I really enjoyed this book.  However I was a little ticked when I first started reading about Harry having a fiancé back on his planet.  Thankfully this all worked out and there isn’t any actual cheating but when I first started reading I was a little dismayed by this.

 

Harry is really innocent both on his home planet and on earth, adorably so.  He feels drawn to Adam from their first meeting and as their friendship grows so do his feelings.  Adam can’t help but be charmed by Harry and his quirks.  Their lives quickly intertwine even as Harry has to keep his life a secret.

 

This story is told from both of the characters’ points of view which allowed me to see both of their feelings and what they had to deal with when apart.  Harry can’t tell Adam the complete truth and it truly hurts him especially when he is taken away.  Adam is destroyed when Harry disappears not once but twice and isn’t quite so willing to allow Harry back right away.  There was a lot to overcome in this book to allow these two to really be together, but unfortunately it is done when they apart from each other so they aren’t really given much opportunity to work together on this.  I can’t wait to read about Ksar and Syen in the next book.

 

Cover art as adorable as Harry is in the story and I think it’s perfect.

 

Sales Link: Amazon  

 

Book Details:

ebook, 196 pages

Published: May 30, 2017 by Alessandra Hazard

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Incubus Touch (Polar Nights Book 1) by Siryn Sueng

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Sex with the dark incubus, Jakai, is far more erotic than Valyn ever imagined it could be. But when Valyn spots a terrifying figure in Jakai’s yard, the peace in Tromsø, Norway begins to break apart — and their presence is just the beginning…

 

Sex under the northern lights has never been so arousing.

 

Valyn enjoys the snow-covered city of Tromsø, Norway, because of the long nights, and the northern lights that bring more than just color to the skies above. As a siren, the energy that floods the city beneath the strong pulses of the aurora are both needed for magic and sought after for intense pleasure.

 

During the winter, the urge to be claimed drives many of the mythical populace. It is Valyn’s third winter without a partner, and the overwhelming need for sex is almost too much to bear. Until his search in an underground club leads him to an incubus named Jakai. Finally, after so long, Valyn has found the man to share his life with. Jakai is mysterious, but kind, and the sex is far more erotic than Valyn ever imagined it could be.

 

But in the deep dark, there are things that crawl through the snow. The fae are far less civilized and out for blood. When Valyn spots a terrifying figure in Jakai’s yard, the peace in Tromsø begins to break apart — and the fae’s presence is just the beginning.

 

This was an interesting world to read about.  I’m not sure my thoughts on how they basically mate with the first person who chooses them and hope it all works out.  Valyn has been looking for a mate for years and goes back out in hopes to find one when Jakai is attracted and catches him in the club.  Considering Valyn has never done anything sexual with another the incubus completely blows his mind in their first night together.

 

Despite Valyn’s innocence he has spent a lot of time thinking of the sex he would have once he had a mate and it doesn’t stop once he is claimed.  Jakai seems to want nothing more than Valyn’s happiness, it would have been interesting to see how they actually join their lives together but the events in this story happen over such a short time period that isn’t possible.  The fact that none of them really knew about the fae seemed strange since there were so many paranormals interacting.  Despite anything I’ve said I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading Nolan’s story and I’ll know what to expect a bit more.

 

The cover art is great and works perfectly for this story.

 

Sales Links: Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 91 pages

Published: May 30, 2017 by Deep Desires Press

Edition Language: English

Series: Polar Nights #1

An Alisa Review: Romancing the Bouncer by J.D. Walker

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Bennett “Ben” Pachowski is a bouncer at Throwbacks. He likes his job, though he gets tired of being thought of as more brawn than brain. He loves books, prefers to be romanced before sleeping with a man, and has a crazy feline companion named Bessie.

 

Ben’s favorite band, Rebel’s Ultimatum, plays at the club on weekends, giving him an eyeful of sexy bass player, Monty Mabuse. Ben is content to flirt — nothing more. He knows the kind of person Monty is, and commitment is not something the bass player is interested in.

 

When Monty resorts to something devious to get what he wants, it backfires, and Ben walks away. Before he goes on tour with his band, Monty finally gets Ben to talk to him, but if Monty really wants to have something serious with Ben, he’ll have to change his ways.

 

A little romance could go a long way.

 

I really liked this story.  Ben knows he is a relationship kind of guy and won’t settle for anything less.  He keeps his distance from Monty until he rescues him and suddenly he is waking up next to Monty no knowing how they got there.

 

Ben forces Monty to look at his life and decide what he really wants.  While Ben is making some big changes in his life so does Monty.  I felt Ben’s pain when he realized what Monty had done and was happy to see him make the changes to make his life happier even if it meant moving on from his comfort zone.  Seeing Monty make the changes in his life that finally put his past behind him was wonderful.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is nice and gives a good visual of Ben.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 58 pages

Published: May 13, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634860918

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Chasing His Cottontail (Hoppity Shifter #1) by A.R. Barley

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Peter’s been half in love with Luke Holland for as long as he can remember, but his best friend’s very human brother has always been off limit, but when werewolves come to town this bunny shifter is going to have to decide whether he’s ready to fight for what he’s always wanted.

 

Luke Holland is tall, dark, and human. He’s also off limits for daisy obsessed bunny shifter, Peter. But when werewolves start hunting Peter in the woods around New Hope he’s going to need Luke’s help to fight the intruders. Of course, when Luke discovers the truth about Peter he’s never going to stop chasing his cottontail.

 

I liked this story even with the contradictory actions of the characters at times.  Peter hides from some werewolves and ends up as Luke’s pet.  When Luke discovers Peter’s secret he wants to protect and hold on to him.

 

We see how these characters really feel about each other even when they are trying to keep it away from the other.  Peter refuses to take away Luke’s choice about being with him while his actions are making Luke think that he doesn’t want him.  They all work together to make sure Peter is safe and happy even if it isn’t what the other wants.  This was essentially a really sweet story with connections to the story we all knew as kids with Peter getting the name Cottontail as a pet and him eating from Mrs. McGregor’s garden.

 

The cover is nice and gives a great visual for Luke and Peter’s bunny.

 

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 108 pages

Published: May 17, 2017 by MLR Press

Edition Language: English

Series: Hoppity Shifter #1

An Alisa Review: My Highland Cowboy by Alexa Milne

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Duncan McLeish owns a ranch. Unlike most ranches, this one is in the Scottish Highlands. Having inherited a failing farm from his grandfather, he turns it into a successful business. He has friends and he loves his home, but he’s lonely, and not even infrequent trips to Glasgow and Edinburgh slake that thirst to find someone. Then Drew Sinclair walks into his life.

 

Drew Sinclair is tantalizingly close to getting his clothing brand noticed in the industry. He and his business partner, Joy, create individual dresses, while, on the side, Drew produces a line of men’s lingerie. He visits Scotland to design a bridal gown for his sister, Jenna, who is marrying Duncan’s best friend at Christmas.

 

Duncan and Drew have nothing except their Highland upbringing in common, but they say opposites attract, and the attraction is immediate. Is this simply a summer fling, or can two men who live such opposite lives miles away from each other find a way to love?

 

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to homophobia and references to death of a character’s parents.

 

This was a very nice story.  Duncan has resigned himself to being alone knowing that no one would want to move to the country even if he could ever find someone he wanted to live his life with.  Drew throws his lonely and well managed life out of whack and he isn’t sure what to do about it.

 

Drew has never found someone worth keeping around and will flirt shamelessly with all those around him.  They both are open while Drew is visiting but don’t even risk thinking that their lives could be intertwined and they end up hurting themselves more than they even thought possible.  It was hard to see both of them hurting and knowing their friends didn’t quite know how to help them.

 

We see both of these characters’ points of view which allows us to understand these characters better.  I could feel Duncan’s confusion about his feelings that contradicted how his grandfather raised him but knowing that he can’t leave his ranch he resigns himself to nothing more ever happening.  Drew has never felt this strongly for a lover before and can’t seem to get Duncan out of his head, not even able to move on as he planned when he got back to London.  I loved that Drew realized he couldn’t live without Duncan and was able to adjust his life to make their dreams possible.

 

Cover art is beautiful and gives a great visual of Duncan and background for the story.

 

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 196 pages

Published: June 6, 2017 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 9781786515674

Edition Language: English