Tag: author Leta Blake

An Alisa Audio Review: Alpha Heat (Heat of Love #2) by Leta Blake and Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)

Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

 

A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.

 

Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy-ever-after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.

 

Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart—and so does he.

 

But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.

 

Another great book in this series.  I felt for Xan in the first book and to see how he has struggled the last few years made my heart break.  Urho finds out about Xan in the worst possible way but what he thinks is a straight forward plan to help quickly becomes more complicated.

 

I loved both Xan and Urho and could easily see their struggles to accept themselves and how their lives would be but how wonderful it was once all the walls were broken down.  I also adored Xan’s omega, Caleb, he is so accepting of Xan and Urho; it’s his unconditional support that helped them the most.  Their support for each other and family in the end was great and the fact that they were pretty much giving societal standards the finger was nice.

 

Michael Ferraiuolo did another great job narrating this story.  I was easily able to connect with the characters feel their emotions as he used different voices for the characters.  I have to just say again he does speak quite slowly and with increasing the speed it was made better, which also shortens how long the book takes to listen to, if that deters anyone.

 

Cover art by Dar Albert is great, I love the visual of the characters together and that it follows the same style as Slow Heat.

 

Sales Link:  Audible | Amazon | iTunes

 

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 15 hrs 22 min
Published: October 22, 2018 by Leta Blake
Edition Language: English

Series: Heat of Love #2

Review Tour and Giveaway for Alpha Heat by Leta Blake

 

Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK
 
Narrated By: Michael Ferraiuolo
 
Length: 15hrs 22 mins
 
Heat of Love Series
 
Book #1 – Slow Heat – Audible US | Audible UK
 
Blurb



A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.


Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy ever after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.


Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked, and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart – and so does he.


But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.


This gay-romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It has a strong, happy ending and a well-crafted non-shifter omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/293826951

Alpha Heat Sample 1 from Leta Blake on Vimeo.

 Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review here.

Author Bio


Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

 

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Release Blitz &; Review Tour – Mr Frosty Pants by Leta Blake (giveaway)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK – Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow in Kindle Unlimited
 
Length: 90,000 word approx.
 
Cover Design: Wicked Smart Design
 
Blurb
 

Can true love warm his frozen heart?


When Casey Stevens went away to college four years ago, he ghosted on his straight best friend, Joel Vreeland. He hoped time and distance would lessen the unrequited affection he felt, but all it did was make him miss Joel more. Home for the holidays, Casey hopes they might find a way to be friends again. But Joel’s frosty reception reminds Casey of just how hard he had to fight to be Joel’s friend in the first place. It’s going to take a Christmas miracle to get past that cool façade again.


Joel isn’t as straight as Casey believes, and his years of pining for Casey have left him hurting and alone, caring for his abusive father and struggling to get by. Unable to trust anyone except his rescue dog—and with no reason to believe Casey is interested in him for more than a holiday fling—Joel’s icy heart might shatter before it can thaw.


Can Casey and Joel’s love overcome mistrust, parental rejection, class differences, and four long years apart? Mr. Frosty Pants is a stand-alone, Christmas gay romance by Leta Blake featuring a virgin hero, childhood friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and steamy mm first times.



November 16 – Joyfully Jay, November 19 – Gay Book Reviews, November 22 – Love Bytes, November 28 – The Novel Approach, November 30 – Bayou Book Junkie


Author Bio


Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

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Release Blitz and Giveaway – Alpha Heat (Heat of Love #1) by Leta Blake

 

Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK
 
Narrated By: Michael Ferraiuolo
 
Length: 15hrs 22 mins
 
Heat of Love Series
 
Book #1 – Slow Heat – Audible US | Audible UK
 
Blurb



A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.


Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy ever after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.


Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked, and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart – and so does he.


But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.


This gay-romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It has a strong, happy ending and a well-crafted non-shifter omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.

 

https://player.vimeo.com/video/293826951

Alpha Heat Sample 1 from Leta Blake on Vimeo.

 

Author Bio


Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

 

Giveaway

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Any Given Lifetime by Leta Blake

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Who’s to say reincarnation can’t happen? Not this author, who gives us a heartwarming, gut-churning tale of one couple’s love for all time.

In the first half we meet Joshua, a young college man who was raised in a strict Christian household and is struggling to admit he’s gay and act on his attraction to his neighbor, Neil.  Neil is a brilliant scientist specializing in nanite research.  His dedication to his work and his perfectionism make him difficult to be around as he says what he means and doesn’t soften the blow.  But he and Joshua, nevertheless, fall in love.  Unfortunately, a disaster occurs and Joshua loses him before they even have a chance to have sex, something Joshua later deeply regrets. 

Months after Neil’s death, a baby is born—a strange baby named Neil, who seems too serious by far. As he ages, it’s evident he’s a genius and his maturity level is off the boards.  When he admits to his mother that he knows he’s lived before and shows her videos of Joshua on their laptop, she’s shocked but has already come to believe there’s something different about her baby.  Joshua now heads a nanite research foundation, begun with funds he inherited when Neil passed. Since he’s in the spotlight so often it’s easy for young Neil to follow his activities and he’s gutted when Joshua marries a man named Lee. 

A year or two after Neil had passed, Joshua met Lee, a man with major burn damage who was the recipient of Neil’s skin donation when he died.  After Lee relocates to Joshua’s small town, the two become close and within a few years, Joshua falls in love and marries Lee. He still dreams of Neil but knows there’s room in his heart for his past love and his new one.

Without revealing what happens, I will say that the first half of the story was bittersweet. Joshua had one blow after another. Young Neil was frustrated with his young body and his old brain. He still held memories from the time before and his inability to reach out to Joshua was frustrating.  I was most definitely caught up in the angst and action and didn’t know who to feel sorriest for.  And I shared Neil’s frustration with the slow passage of time.

In the second half, Joshua and the young Neil finally meet.  Neil allows his nerves and his acerbic tongue to push Joshua away, while Joshua can’t seem to recover from being stunned speechless by how much this Neil looks like the love of his life.  It’s fun, it’s heartbreaking, it’s frustrating, and it’s amazing to watch these two men finally get past all the hurdles and come together.   

But then… If I had any one complaint, it’s that there was too much sex in the second half. Granted, they finally got to have sex, but not only are they constantly at it, much of it is on page, and after a while, I was done. So done. It’s a wonder either man could walk, never mind how they kept from being dehydrated.  It distracted me from the rest of the story and it took my rating down a notch. 

If you are looking for a romance that spans time, this one is ideal. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking with sweet, wonderful characters and a few that are somewhat prickly, but still endearing.  A wonderful way to spend a day or two of your leisure time, I definitely recommend this one.

The cover by Dar Albert features a photo of two men embracing and kissing, superimposed over a skyline that could easily be Atlanta, the major city featured in this story.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 215 pages
Published September 13th 2018 by Leta Blake Books
ASINB07H4SC7V8
Edition Language English

Review Tour and Giveaway for Any Given Lifetime by Leta Blake

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 70,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Designs
 
Blurb



Neil isn’t a ghost, but he feels like one. Reincarnated with all his memories from his prior life, he spent twenty years trapped in a child’s body, wanting nothing more than to grow up and reclaim the love of his life.


As an adult, Neil finds there’s more than lost time separating them. Joshua has built a beautiful life since Neil’s death, and how exactly is Neil supposed to introduce himself? As Joshua’s long-dead lover in a new body? Heartbroken and hopeless, Neil takes refuge in his work, developing microscopic robots called nanites that can produce medical miracles.


When Joshua meets a young scientist working on a medical project, his soul senses something his rational mind can’t believe. Has Neil truly come back to him after twenty years? And if the impossible is real, can they be together at long last?


Any Given Lifetime is a stand-alone, slow burn, second chance gay romance by Leta Blake featuring reincarnation and true love. This story includes some angst, some steam, an age gap, and, of course, a happy ending.

 
Author Bio
 

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

 

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Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review here.  We absolutely recommend it.

Release Blitz Tour and Giveaway – Any Given Lifetime by Leta Blake

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 70,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Designs
 
Blurb



Neil isn’t a ghost, but he feels like one. Reincarnated with all his memories from his prior life, he spent twenty years trapped in a child’s body, wanting nothing more than to grow up and reclaim the love of his life.


As an adult, Neil finds there’s more than lost time separating them. Joshua has built a beautiful life since Neil’s death, and how exactly is Neil supposed to introduce himself? As Joshua’s long-dead lover in a new body? Heartbroken and hopeless, Neil takes refuge in his work, developing microscopic robots called nanites that can produce medical miracles.


When Joshua meets a young scientist working on a medical project, his soul senses something his rational mind can’t believe. Has Neil truly come back to him after twenty years? And if the impossible is real, can they be together at long last?


Any Given Lifetime is a stand-alone, slow burn, second chance gay romance by Leta Blake featuring reincarnation and true love. This story includes some angst, some steam, an age gap, and, of course, a happy ending.

 
Author Bio
 

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

 
Giveaway

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An Alisa Audiobook Review: Slow Heat (Heat of Love #1) by Leta Blake and Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

A lustful young alpha meets his match in an older omega with a past.

Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-thirties, he’s long since given up hope that he’ll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He’s fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends.

When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can’t be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.

But for Vale, being with Jason means giving up his independence and placing his future in the hands of an untested alpha–as well as facing the scars of his own tumultuous past. He isn’t sure it’s worth it. But Jason isn’t giving up his destined mate without a fight.

This was a wonderfully crafted world and story.  Jason has just started university and isn’t supposed to find his mate yet.  Vale had resigned himself long ago to ever finding his destined mate when Jason walks in.

It was easy to connect with these characters and feel their emotions.  The world in which these characters live puts much more importance on having children than the safety of their carriers and that mindset causes Vale to push Jason away.  I could easily see how it was hard for these characters to follow the proper protocols and find their own happiness for the future.  I had some trouble with Vale continuing to have the same worry no matter how often he was told or shown there was no need.

Michael Ferraiuolo did a great job narrating this story.  I was easily able to connect with the characters feel their emotions as he used different voices for the characters.  While I enjoyed his reading of the story his speech pattern was quite slow and I had to increase the speed of the book more than I ever have before.

Cover art by Dar Albert is great and I loved the visual of the characters together.

Sales Link:  Audible

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 14 hrs 7 min
Published: May 7, 2018 by Leta Blake
Edition Language: English

Series: Heat of Love #1

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Alpha Heat (Heat of Love #2) by Leta Blake

Rating 5 stars out of 5

I didn’t think it would be possible for this sequel to equal my enjoyment of Slow Heat but Alpha Heat met and surpassed it. I want more in this omegaverse where only male humans exist. They are either omega—the softer more feminine men who come on heat and bear children if their alpha impregnates them. Or they are beta—who mostly work either professionally or as servants. Betas aren’t affected by omega heats and rarely have a life partner who is bonded as an alpha and omega may be. Alphas are, of course, the more hirsute, take-charge, dominant men and choose an omega as a life partner unless they find their erosgape—their one true love and fated lifemate.

This story is about Xan Heelies, an alpha who really wants to be an omega. We first met the young man in Slow Heat. He was Jason’s college roommate and the man Jason was gaining his sexual experience with. Atypical for an alpha, Xan enjoyed being a bottom and he was heartbroken when Jason left him for his lifemate, Vale.

Xan has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders as his father’s heir, though he’s not his father’s favorite son. A few years have passed since the first book, and Xan has chosen Caleb as his omega life partner but he’s learned from the disaster of their first heat together that he can’t keep up with his omega in his deep heat so he seeks medical help from Dr. Urho Chase, the only doctor he can trust to tell that he’s “unmanned”—the term used in this universe to indicate an alpha who chooses to bottom for another alpha. Caleb, fortunately, is happy to stay with Xan because he’s asexual and Xan allows him freedom to be himself.

Dr. Urho Chase is the alpha who served Vale in Slow Heat through his heats until Vale found Jason, his erosgape. Urho lost his own erosgape and their infant a long time ago and it’s a loss he can never forget. Disdainful of Xan, a young man he knows has had sex with Jason in the past, he’s nevertheless insanely attracted to him, so he’s stayed away from him for both their sakes. Until one night when he spots Xan just after Xan has had a brutally rough sexual encounter, which could easily be labeled rape, and Urho’s heart and senses go on high alert in his need to protect Xan from this monster and from anyone else who might hurt him.

This is a love story between Xan and Urho that includes Caleb. Though Xan and Urho are sexually attracted and engage in sex—Urho calls Xan his alpha-shaped omega—their love surpasses sex and flows over into Xan’s and Caleb’s relationship where Urho is welcomed with open arms. Of course, this story is not simple at all. This is Leta Blake, so it’s complex, with a few subplots, one of which is a deadly flu that is taking down most of the citizens of their town. Jacob and Vale join Xan and Caleb at their new home in the north, where Xan is establishing a satellite for his father’s business. Naturally, Urho comes along, and thankfully he does, because with Vale’s advancing pregnancy and the flu epidemic finding them even in the remote locale, there’s plenty of drama to keep readers turning pages quickly.

In addition to the fantastic story and complex characterizations in this omegaverse, I loved the terminology the author created. My favorite example: “I can’t wait to see you with our babe in your arms, chestfeeding.” Chestfeeding! Loved it!

The story includes mpreg and knotting, which I know many MM readers love, and of course, there’s plenty of romance and sex. Near the beginning of the story, there is a brief scene of graphic sexual violence so those who may be triggered should be aware.

I’m not sure if the author is going to write more in this world but I would certainly stand in line for a chance to be one of the first to read it. As is obvious by my review, I very highly recommend this book.

~~~~

The cover by Dar Albert of Wicked Strange Designs depicts a color photo of two bare-chested men embracing. It’s very attractive and fits the characters in this story.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1 edition
Published May 11th 2018 by Leta Blake Books
Original TitleAlpha Heat (Heat of Love #2)
ASINB07D1MDQVS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesHeat of Love #2

Review Tour and Giveaway for Alpha Heat by Leta Blake

 

 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 130,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Strange Designs
 
Heat of Love Series
 
Book #1 – Slow Heat – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.


Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy-ever-after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.


Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart—and so does he.


But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.


This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It’s 130,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a well-crafted, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.



May 15 – The Novel Approach, OMG Reads
May 19 – Love Bytes, My Fiction Nook, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Mainely Stories
May 20 – MM Good Book Reviews
May 21 – Making It Happen, Dog-Eared Daydreams
May 22 – Bayou Book Junkie
May 23 – Mirrigold, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Diverse Reader, Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews, V’s Reads, Oh My Shelves, Lillian Francis, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Kimmer’s Erotic Book Banter, Gay Media Reviews
May 24 – Joyfully Jay

Check out Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words’ 5 star review here.
Author Bio



Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.


Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letablake
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetaBlake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letablake
Website: https://letablake.wordpress.com

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