Tag: An Alisa Recommended Story

An Alisa Review: Human Instincts (Roguefalls #1) by April Kelley

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

A human soldier and an omega wolf shifter find out they’re mates in a world where segregation between humans and paranormals is standard operating procedure.

 

Dylan Kole knows how to do one thing, and that’s to be a soldier in the human army. He doesn’t know how to fit in with a bunch of paranormal beings, and he certainly doesn’t know how to be a mate to Rudy Malone, the only omega wolf shifter on Roguefalls Island. One thing Dylan does have going for him is his ability to follow his instincts.

 

This was an interesting and entertaining story.  Dylan and his buddy, Christian, are selected to become a part of the paranormal army.  Both know some things but are a bit unprepared for everything that comes up, especially the whole mate thing.  Rudy is so happy to find his mate while Dylan is confused by his reaction to the man and tries to take a step back.  But he can’t resist for long.

 

The world is a bit different with humans living in family groups or as singles (which are usually criminals) and paranormals living in clans so they don’t feel as if they get many choices on what they want to do with their life; Dylan was kicked out of his family group and joined the human army to avoid becoming a single.  He is so puzzled by his instincts to protect and love on Rudy; he has always believed that he will be alone since he was kicked out.  Rudy came to Roguefalls to provide a calming presence but to also get some distance from his over protective brother and he will not let his mate do the same thing to him.

 

We get to see both of these characters working through their thoughts and coming to terms with how they feel for each other.  These two know how they feel but are a bit lost on what to do and do end up taking time to get to know each other a bit before a claiming.  I can’t wait to see what happens between Christian and Ward in the next story.

 

The cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill is nice and a typical romance cover with the view of a man’s midsection.

 

Sales Links: Extasy Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 98 pages

Published: May 5, 2017 by Extasy Books

ISBN: 9781487412395

Edition Language: English

Series: Roguefalls #1

An Alisa Review: Cutting Cords (Kiss of Leather #6) by Morticia Knight

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Liam yearns for Master Neal’s harsh touch, but Neal fears that a part-time Master can’t give a full-time sub everything he needs.

 

Liam’s world crumbled after the unexpected death of his Master. Prone to panic attacks and other social anxiety, Liam doesn’t believe he’ll ever find another Master who would be willing to take on such a challenged sub full-time. Too distraught to go back to Club Consequence, where he met the man he thought he’d be with forever, he decides to give Kiss of Leather a try.

 

After doing a piercing gig at Kiss of Leather, Master Neal signs up to become a member. On the night he performs a demo as the final step to being accepted, he meets a sub who brings out his protective urge and makes his heart come alive. Neal isn’t scared off by Liam’s anxiety or social awkwardness. On the contrary, he finds the sub to be refreshingly honest and endearing.

 

They try out a scene to see if they’ll click, and their connection is everything they’d both hoped it could be. However, the road to love and a Total Power Exchange isn’t an easy one. Neal still hasn’t discovered all there is to know about Liam’s traumatic upbringing, and he’s not sure if he’d ultimately be the right Master for Liam.

 

Both men are forced to face the truth about love, life and what it means to share it with another person. But before Liam can start over with Neal, he’ll have to cut the cords to his past and trust that Neal will be there to catch him when he does.

 

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to a traumatic and abusive upbringing.

 

I enjoyed this story just as much as I have the others in this series.  We have been hearing about Liam on an off throughout the series and got to meet Neal at the end of the last book.  Out of many we have seen I think Liam definitely deserved his HEA.

 

Liam has been closed off and is extremely shy, which was made worse when his Master died.  When Neal first meets Liam his protective instincts kick in full force and he know that he will do anything to protect this gorgeous sub.  Liam is so cute and positively innocent even with living as a full time sub for over a year; he went straight from an abusive foster home to being a sub and doesn’t have any real world experience.  Neal never thought he would want to have a full time sub but doesn’t want to lose everything he has gained with Liam, I love how patient he is with Liam and how he is willing to help him work through some of his anxieties.

 

As with the previous stories we get to see some of the other characters again and see how their lives are going along with the continuation in the mystery portion, though that was toned down a bit in this book it looks as though it will be picking up again in the next.  I look forward to reading more in this series while they solve the mystery, but also to see more of all the wonderful characters in this series.

 

The cover art is very nice; giving great visuals of the characters and follows the pattern for the series.

 

Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 136 pages

Published: May 23, 2016 by Pride Publishing

ISBN: 9781786515797

Edition Language: English

Series: Kiss of Leather #6

An Alisa Review: Laurent and the Beast (Kings of Hell MC #1) by K.A. Merikan

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
— Nothing can stop true love. Not time. Not even the devil himself. —

1805. Laurent. Indentured servant. Desperate to escape a life that is falling apart. 
2017. Beast. Kings of Hell Motorcycle Club vice president. His fists do the talking.

Beast has been disfigured in a fire, but he’s covered his skin with tattoos to make sure no one mistakes his scars for weakness. The accident not only hurt his body, but damaged his soul and self-esteem, so he’s wrapped himself in a tight cocoon of violence and mayhem where no one can reach him.

Until one night, when he finds a young man covered in blood in their clubhouse. Sweet, innocent, and as beautiful as an angel fallen from heaven, Laurent pulls on all of Beast’s heartstrings. Laurent is so lost in the world around him, and is such a tangled mystery, that Beast can’t help but let the man claw his way into the stone that is Beast’s heart.

In 1805, Laurent has no family, no means, and his eyesight is failing. To escape a life of poverty, he uses his beauty, but that only backfires and leads him to a catastrophe that changes his life forever. He takes one step into the abyss and is transported to the future, ready to fight for a life worth living. 

What he doesn’t expect in his way is a brutal, gruff wall of tattooed muscle with a tender side that only Laurent is allowed to touch. And yet, if Laurent ever wants to earn his freedom, he might have to tear out the heart of the very man who took care of him when it mattered most.
I generally don’t read biker books.  It’s a genre I’m not fond of at all but I like these authors and the time travel aspect sounded so unique I had to give it a try.   I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed this.  
The story is told is alternating points of view.  I liked this because we got to see what both Laurent and Beast were thinking.  They were very different men and their perceptions of each situation was totally different.  They start off not trusting each other but as the story goes on they start to slowly open up to each other.  
I thought both MC’s were really well done and I liked them both but for different reasons.  Beast was the tortured hero that you really want to see get a happy ending.  He struggled with his own self-esteem and it was wonderful to watch him as he starts to trust Laurent and open up to him.  Laurent was a little immature (as expected since he was very young) but overall he took the whole situation like a trooper.  He didn’t whine or complain and he made the best of a bad situation.  It was also a bit funny to watch him explore the present time and learn all about the things around him.  Their scenes together were both sweet and sexy.  The two men had great chemistry and I was really rooting for them the entire time.
The overall plot was a mystery of sorts and I loved the paranormal aspect.  There was a devil and a serial killer and a present day bad guy.  I liked the ending and was excited to see that there are more books planned in the series.  We meet all of the guys in this book and my interest was peaked for all of them.  
I thought this was unique and well done.  It had a bit of everything.  There was some action and adventure, some sexy times and a beautiful love story.  This is a definite recommend from me.
The cover was done by Natasha Snow and I loved it.  It’s got a great vibe to it and it really catches the eye.  It’s also a great representation of Beast.
Sales Links:  Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 360 pages
Published April 29th 2017 by Acerbi & Villani ltd (first published April 2017)
ASINB071NCQZPZ
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesKings of Hell MC #1
CharactersLaurent Mercier, Kai

An Alisa Review: Threshold by Vivien Dean

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Finding a gorgeous, unconscious vampire gives ex-Marine Max a new purpose in life.

 

Sutter is a vampire on the run. After barely escaping the hunter sent after him, he makes it all the way to Oregon before the approaching sunrise forces him to stop. He only intends to rest until dusk, but that plan falls apart when he’s found passed out on the bathroom floor.

 

Ex-Marine Max Rowell hasn’t had a purpose in life since coming home from the Gulf. Drifting through the days, he discovers an unconscious guy who looks like an angel but has clearly been through hell and finds new purpose.

 

Max isn’t letting Sutter go anywhere until he’s healed, but Sutter needs more than a warm bedside manner to get stronger. Though they strike a deal, the clock is ticking. Sooner or later, Sutter will need to run again, or risk putting Max’s life on the line when Sutter’s past catches up to him…

 

I really enjoyed this story.  Sutter is on the run and hoping that he can heal enough over night to keep going but Max patches him up and won’t let him go until he is better.  Both of the characters have to work together to move past their current existence to something more.

 

Max is just buying time trying to figure out what he wants to do now that he is out of the marines and not really getting anywhere, meeting Sutter begins to give him a reason to do something different.  He is shocked when Sutter explains to him that he is a vampire but still refuses to leave his side while he is healing.  Sutter doesn’t want to get an innocent person hurt because of his past but Max won’t let him push him away so easily.

 

This story is told from both characters’ points of view and we can see their struggles and how they seem to understand the other easily.  Max refused to give in to his desire for Sutter until he knows the man is healed, he has seen too much evil in the world and refuses to be that way.  Sutter is trying to be the bigger man but knows he can’t take care of himself quite yet.  These two characters are as different as they are alike and they played well off of each other.  I liked seeing them actually begin to build a relationship and get to know each other seeing them essentially ride off together in the end.

 

I love the cover art and how it depicts both of the characters.

 

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 113 pages

Published: April 14, 2017 by MLR Press

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Wake up Call by Becky Black

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

When you live beside a cat café, it’s inevitable the fur will start flying eventually. Derek “Dez” Walker, a police officer wounded in a shooting, feels adrift and isolated as he makes a slow recovery. Others call him a hero, but it’s a title he doesn’t think he deserves.

 

When Dez intervenes in a burglary at the cat café near his apartment, he meets the owner, Francis “Fran” Green. Though he’s a hero to Fran for his intervention in the burglary, it’s Fran who becomes a strong source of support for Dez. Fran offers friendship to his vulnerable neighbour and, as they spend more time together, Dez comes to rely on Fran … and his cats.

 

He begins to find the way out of his isolation, but does he deserve everything Fran offers?

 

I thought this was such a cute story.  Dez has pretty much been living his life on pause since he was wounded, avoiding others and moving on.  Being awoken by the sound of a burglary and the new friendship he develops with Fran is just the wake-up call he needs to get his life back on track.

 

Fran wants to show Dez that he is worthy of affection let alone the friendship he is offering, having helped a brother with PTSD he knows he has to be patient but also push at the same time.  Dez knows he needs to try to get better to be the man he thinks Fran deserves and gains a new cat, Riley, in the process.  We see this story from through Dez’s eyes but Fran is so open and loving that you can easily how he is feeling too.  These two complement each other wonderfully and I loved seeing them together.

 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is adorable and gives a great visual of Dez and his new cat, Riley.

 

Sales Links: JMS Books | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 56 pages

Published: April 8, 2017 by JMS Books

ISBN: 9781634863957

Edition Language: English

 

An Alisa Review: Hot Wednesday #1 – English Edition (Hot Wednesday – English Edition) by Taylor Kinney and Kevan Houser (Translator)

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

 

Julian’s been an escort for nearly ten years, willingly for the last five. But from the moment Gabriel walked into his life, everything changed.

 

The man lives in anticipation of those weekly encounters when he can make Gabriel his slave. All he wants is to have Gabriel all to himself, but that’s something he’ll never have the courage to expect, so he has to make do with the crumbs Gabriel tosses him.

 

Erotic M/M story with BDSM content. Not suitable for those who don’t enjoy this genre.

 

This was an interesting story.  Julian is a former escort that longs for his one day a week with Gabriel, who he has continued to hide his true feeling from.  Gabriel likes how their sessions are uncomplicated and allow him to unwind.

 

Julian has kept Gabriel completely in the dark, about his feelings and his job.  While they are still continuing their weekly sessions, one of which we got to see in this story.  And was it seriously hot.  I am very interested to see how these sessions and their will continue.

 

The cover art is simple but perfect for this story.

 

Sales Links: Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 7,000 words

Published: April 11, 2017

Edition Language: English

Series: Hot Wednesday

An Alisa Review: The Acrobat (Blood Ties Book 1) by Agnes Moon and Kevan Houser (Translator)

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

The Acrobat is a professional thief with dozens of burglaries to his credit, but when he finds himself trapped in the enormous abode of a mysterious man, as seductive as he is lethal, he realizes that the police might not be the worst of evils. Vincent de Saint-Bonnet is incredibly rich, with many hidden secrets, and little will to live. A foul-mouthed little thief with magnificent blue eyes is just what he needs to bring some light back to his gray, long-drawn-out existence.

 

A thief looking for a valuable dagger, an antique dealer with hundreds of years under his belt, for whom the weapon represents an object of . . . inestimable value. Each man has a precise goal and nothing will stop him from reaching it. Not even the incredible attraction that grips them, pulling them into a duel, one fought with lies and seduction.

 

This is a wonderful story.  The Acrobat has been taking care of himself and a friend for years but when Vincent wants to keep him he doesn’t know if he should stay because of how he feels or run.  Vincent has been looking for his soul mate for a long time and is amazed when the foul-mouthed little thief throws his carefully balanced world off kilter.

 

Liam and Vincent can’t deny their attraction for each other but continue to keep secrets that hurt their relationship.  Vincent isn’t sure that he can ever forgive Liam for his betrayal but he can’t stop caring for him.

 

This book was originally written in Italian but translated by Kevin Houser and he did a great job.  The book flowed well without the choppy feeling or odd words that I have often seen in other translations.

 

This story was told from both characters’ points of view which allowed the reader to know what they were both thinking and the kinds of things they were scared to share.  Liam doesn’t know how to really trust someone and despite his instincts towards Vincent he easily assumes the worst and runs all while his heart is breaking.  Vincent is overjoyed to have Liam in his life but past mistakes and assumptions make it hard for him to forgive and see what is really going on.  I hope the series continues as indicated and I can’t wait to read about Boris and Mal.

 

The cover art is nice and gives good visuals of the main characters.

 

Sales Link: Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 209 pages

Published: February 19, 2017

Edition Language: English

Series: Blood Ties #1

An Alisa Review: Fangs Like Me by Lyssa Dering

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

 

Lane, a newborn vampire, still feels the pain of betrayal. Two years ago, a faithless boyfriend took his life, and now, Lane’s Maker has also left him behind. The pain of separation burns strong when all Lane wants are arms to hold him and enough warm blood to satisfy his voracious appetite. At a shifter party, Lane is drawn to a hunky Alpha werewolf who tries to console him.

 

Parker is more than a thoughtless hookup. Since his family disowned him for finding boys just as hot as girls, all he wants is someone to love and look after. The sweet little vamp calls to his protective instincts, but he sure is jumpy. Cuddling with boys is new and delicious, but when this boy also wants him as a food source, things get complicated.

 

Vampires and shifters aren’t supposed to get along, and Parker’s rough dominance triggers bad memories for Lane. But Parker’s wolf wants Lane, and he knows he can give Lane what he needs. Can Lane learn to navigate his past and give the thing growing between them a chance? Or will the very real possibilities of heartache, abandonment, and even death, keep them apart?

 

This was a very enjoyable book, it sounded interesting, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Lane was traumatized when his boyfriend took his life and then was saved by being made into a vampire.  Life hasn’t been easy for him since and he has had a hard time fitting into the vampire world and only really had one friend outside his den.

 

I couldn’t help but feel for Lane, he feels like an outsider in his home and doesn’t really have anyone to turn to.  He jumps at the opportunity to be with and protected by Parker, but is worried his fear of fangs and being bitten will cause problems between them.

 

Both of the characters have been hurt by those close to them and are trying to navigate new worlds when they meet.  Parker has wanted someone to take care of and love while being loved in return and can’t help but hope that maybe Lane is his chance.  We see both of these characters’ struggles and feelings throughout the story, both being willing to risk so much for the other.  I loved seeing their interactions and how much they really cared for the other.

 

Cover art by Natasha Snow is nice and gives great visuals of the characters.

 

Sales Links: Nine Star Press | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 120 pages

Published: March 13, 2017 by Nine Star Press

ISBN: 9781945952722

Edition Language: English