Tag: eXtasy Books

A Paul B Review: Kenai (Watchers #1) by Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Kenai coverKenai is a young watcher.  He has known since he was young that he was meant to settle disputes between shifters.  He has also been told that being a watcher is a lonely life.  The watcher separates himself from his family and there is no prospect of love, much less a mate.  This as they say is how it has always been.   His life is one of prophetic dreams and settling disputes.  To keep himself from being distracted from his duties, Kenai lives in the forest of Washington in a single room cabin by himself.  This also allows him to shift into his cougar form.  The one dream that recurs to him is of a bear shifter fishing salmon from a nearby stream.

Derek is a bear shifter in the wilds of Washington.  While walking through the woods one day, a cougar bounces around him as he walks.  Annoyed at the playful shifter, he asks the man what he is doing.  Kenai states that he just wants company.  Derek tolerates the cougar for a bit until Kenai’s bouncing leads Derek to growl at him.  Kenai apologizes and heads home.  Derek follows him and asks if Kenai would like to go on a salmon run with him the next day.

At the salmon run, things progress between Derek and Kenai.  Both agree that whatever goes on between them is just for fun and nothing more could come of it.  However, when another bear shifter attacks Kenai, things change.  Kenai defends himself, pushing the bear shifter over a cliff.  Frightened what the other bear shifters might do, he runs to the city seeking refuge in a bottle of vodka.  Derek tracks him down but Kenai must perform his watcher duties.  Will the legends of the lonely watcher prove to be true?

This is the first book in the new Watchers series by Caitlin Ricci and A J Marcus.  The first part of the book serves both as an introduction to Kenai but also to this world of watchers that the authors have created.  It is a different twist on the supervision of paranormals as these watchers seem to be born into the role.  While this is a decent shifter book, I felt something was missing in the connection of the main characters.  I did however like how Kenai used the situation that he is called on to mediate to help him come to a conclusion about his relationship with Derek.  Overall, it is a good start to the series but I hope that more details are fleshed out  in coming books.

The cover art by Carmen Waters has Kenai in his cougar form with a shirtless man behind the cougar set in a forest.  It fits the book well.

Sales Links:   eXtasy Books |  Amazon

Book Details

ebook, 46 pages
Published December 8th 2015 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487406011
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesWatchers #1

A Paul B Review: Branding An Icy Heart (Wolves of Stone Ridge #32) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Branding An Icy HeartWhen a self described homophobic asshole vampire meets his beloved, a man who is still recovering from a gay bashing a couple of years ago, can the men work through their pasts to get to their happily ever after?

Aleksei Kuznetsov decided to stay in Europe instead of following his family’s coven when they moved to America.  It was bad enough when his brother Tullion found his beloved in a male.  But his older brother and coven leader Borscht then found his beloved in the form of a male fruit bat shifter.  Missing his family/coven, he decides that a trip stateside was in order.  Having come so far, Aleksei begins to leave the bar to see his family when a man using a cane enters the bar.  He is alarmed when he recognizes that this man might actually be his beloved.

Remy Smithson is out with his friends.  After attending the trial that put the man who beat him to within an inch of his death, they decide to commemorate the guilty verdict.  However, his leg that was severely smashed in the incident is acting up on him.  So, he decides to get away from the dance floor and go to a local pub.  A strange man with a foreign accent chats him up while he is sitting at the bar.  Remy explains that he is in pain due to a gay bashing incident a couple of years back and that he and is friends were out celebrating the end of the basher’s trail and guilty verdict.  When this handsome stranger finds this out, it appears that the stranger cannot leave fast enough.  When Remy relays what has happened at the bar, they suggest that they could set him up with one of Tullion’s single brothers.   So they arrange a party to do just that.

At the party, Remy is introduced to Vadim, one of the Kuznetsov brothers.  They seem to be hitting it off when Aleksei comes over and informs them that he believes that Remy is his beloved.  Remy does not know how to react finding out that he is the fated mate of a man who has shown homophobic tendencies in the short time he has know Aleksei. Aleksei must wrap his head around that just like Borscht and Tullion, his mate is male.  To complicate matters further, Remy has been receiving harassing letters saying that next time he will die.  Can both men move beyond their pasts to prevent Remy from being hurt again?

In this thirty-second book in the Wolves of Stone Ridge series, Ms. Richards brings some history in the series back to the present.  The bashing that is referenced in this book actually occurred twenty books ago in this series.  I have always enjoyed the author’s ability to bring in new characters to this series and tie then to others that have been mention maybe two or three years previously.  It is another enjoyable story in the series.

The cover art by Angel Waters depicts our vampire Aleksei standing in front of a forest filled with fall foliage.  It is a good solid cover for an autumn book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books  |Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details

EBook 108 pages

Published November 15, 2015 by eXtasy Books

ISBN:  978-1-4874-0552-6

Edition Language:  English

Series:  Wolves of Stone Ridge

https://www.goodreads.com/series/63445-wolves-of-stone-ridge

A Paul B Review: Deep Dive (Tidal Crest #1) by Jeff Erno

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Deep Dive coverSam Lewis is a former Olympic diving champion who now works at Water World, an aquatic park similar to the real life Sea World.  He entertains the park visitors a couple of times a day doing dives that he would normally use as warm up from his competition past.  At the age of thirty-two, Sam knows his glory days as a competitive diver are long past but these shows give him some of his past glory.  His one wish is that now that he is no longer under judges’ scrutiny is to fins someone to share his life.  The one perk at working at the park is to see the other attractions.  He is particularly fascinated with the real life robotic merpeople, especially the merman.

Percy is a special effects designer at the same park that Sam works at.  One of the perks of his job is to watch his favorite Olympic diver perform at the park.  He is sitting at a bar when Sam approaches him.  Sam is surprised when Percy recognizes him, saying that he is a has been.  Percy states that is not the case at Water World where they both work.  When Percy reveals that he works with the animation of the mermaids, Sam comments how the merman looks exactly like Percy.  As things begin to heat up, Percy suddenly leaves.  Sam is left high and dry.

Sam begins to wonder what is wrong.  Is there something about himself that drives Percy off?  Or is there something wrong with Percy himself?  And what about this man Todd who seems to be a threat to the growing relationship of Percy and Sam?

I usually enjoy most things that Jeff Erno writes and this is not an exception.  This is the author’s first foray into the world of shape shifters and it appears that he is off to a good start.  The author does a good job at describing the pressures both of the main characters have faced in finding someone to have a relationship with.  He does not follow the fated mate route that is often used in these types of books in the normal sense, which is refreshing to see.    The main reason that I did not rate the book higher is that the ending seemed a bit rushed and the meeting with Percy’s parents was rather anti-climatic.  However, the twist with Percy’s mother almost makes up for it.  I look forward to seeing where the author takes this series.

The cover art by Angela Waters shows a well-built man surrounded by water.  He is shown in his merman form on the cover.  It is a well-executed cover for the story.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

ebook, 114 pages
Published November 15th 2015 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487405823
edition languageEnglish
url)

A Paul B Review: Curling Up With His Critter (A Loving Nip #7) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Curling Up With His Critters coverGypsum Vereen , second of the Amarillo coven of vampires, is tasked to transporting a group of Angus cattle shifters to their new lodgings.,  They are headed toward a diverse pack filled with displaced and abused shifters who are trying to assimilate to a world without abusive alphas and pack members.  When they arrive on pack land, Gypsum is invited to lunch

Lucius and his half brothers have been staying at the pack for rehabilitating shifters since their rescue from their former alpha.  Kept as sexual slaves in cages, they are just now getting around to a normal life.  However, the damage done psychologically is still being healed.  After coming home from a pack run, Lucius goes through the dining room to get to the staircase leading to his room.  He notices the tall blond stranger who smells incredibly good to him.  When this man, who turns out to be Gypsum the vampire, informs Lucius that he is Gypsum’s beloved, Lucius goes into a panic as claiming a mate involves sex, which he has sworn off.

Gypsum must go about wooing his beloved.  First Gypsum must convince Lucius that the sex between them will be nothing like the past sexual abuse he suffered from his previous pack.  He must also explain to Lucius that a vampire needs his beloved to survive.  The next obstacle would be convincing Lucius that the vampire master (the vampire’s alpha equivalent) is nothing like his former alpha.  And knowing how close the brothers are, he has to show Lucius that the brothers will come with them back to his coven.  Just as things begin to go Gypsum’s way, the former leaders of the Angus cattle pack escape and head toward the rescue shifter pack.  Will they interfere with this new mating?

I enjoyed this seventh book in the Loving Nip series.  Lucius and his brothers have been beaten down for most of their lives.  The three have relied on each other in order to survive their ordeal.  I could understand Lucius’ reluctance to mate given all that he has been through.  I was glad to see that Gypsum took his time (at least in shifter mating terms) to convince Lucius that mates are nothing like what was done to him.  Seeing Lucius protect his packs brought home the fact that this man is a survivor.

The cover art by Carmen Waters depicts the blond Gypsum standing in front of a bonfire.  It is a serviceable cover for the story.

Sales Links:  eXtasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

ebook, 85 pages
Published November 1st 2015 by Extasy Books
ISBN139781487405502
edition languageEnglish

Series:  A Loving Nip

A Nip of Good Cheer (A Loving Nip #1)

A Rose for Paul’s Protector (A Loving Nip #2)

An Unforgettable Bite (A Loving Nip #3)

More than Patient (A Loving Nip #4)

Sharing a Demon’s Blood (A Loving Nip #5)

Not a Line of Bull (A Loving Nip #6)

Curling Up with His Critter (A Loving Nip #7)

A Paul B Review: Flint’s Fury (EMS Heat # 19) by Stephani Hecht

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Flint's Fury coverThe only thing holding Flint together is Victoria Smith.  An activist for the city, she represents what could be in the once proud city.  When she is killed, the string that is holding the volatile city together snaps.  The EMTs and local hospitals must deal with the aftermath of the ensuing riot that breaks out because of this woman’s death.

When Matt hears small stones pinging against the side of his ambulance, he wonders what has gotten into twelve year old Keyto.  When Keyto tells him that there has been a shooting, Matt brushes it aside as an everyday occurrence.  When he learns that it is Miss Victoria Smith who has died a violent death, he knows the city is going to erupt.  No sooner than he finishes thinking that, a volley of gunfire erupts around him.  Matt gets Keyto and himself to the safety of the ambulance but his new partner is dead in the drivers seat.  Realizing that he has been hit too, he calls for backup.

As Matt arrives at the hospital, his boyfriend Lucas, a RN at St. Michael’s is already attending to the riot victims.  Wanting to help his boyfriend, he is told to stay out of it as he is too emotionally involved to help Matt.  Lucas reluctantly helps other patients.

Things begin to settle down after the governor calls out the National Guard.  When the reason for Miss Smith’s death is found out, the pointlessness of both the death and the rioting come out.  However, for the people of Flint’s EMS crew and St. Michael’s, they learn that life must be lived to the fullest.

This is the nineteenth book in the EMS Heat series.  While I have read a couple of the books previously in the series since I live so close to Flint and know a lot of the locations mentioned by the author, this is not a series I have kept up on.  So I guess that is why I was not as emotionally invested in all the characters as I probably should have been.  While there is some romance in the book, it is basically a story of the character’s reactions to the riot and the immediate effect it has on them.  While I found it to be a decent read, it would have been better if I had read all the previous books.

The cover art by Angela Waters depicts two shirtless EMT or firefighters on the top half while firefighters are working to put on some burning buildings in the lower half of the cover.  While the bottom half does depict what is happening in the book, the shirtless EMTs seems to be out of place given the book’s subject.

Sales Links:   Extasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 64 pages
Published October 2015 by Extasy Books
ISBN139781487405489
edition languageEnglish
other editions (1)
Flint’s Fury (EMS Heat Book 19)

Series:  EMS Heat

https://www.goodreads.com/series/48061-ems-heat

A Paul B Review: Paws, Preening and a Pumpkin Patch (Wolves of Stone Ridge #31) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Paws, Preening and a Pumpkin Patch coverHessian (Hess) Roshburg, a Kodiak bear shifter, has come to the Stone Ridge wolf pack territory to meet with a former military acquaintance.  It seems the pack has gotten itself mixed up with some vampire, gargoyles and the CIA.  He also has information about the shifter council that he believes that the pack alpha Declan McIntire should know about.

Gilbert, a raven shifter, and his flock have recently settled in the territory of the Stone Ridge wolf pack after being held captive in Russian for several years.  The wolves helped liberate them from the captors and offered them sanctuary until they have readjusted to real life.  Things like clothes and how to use a telephone is lost on members of his flock who were taken captive at an early age.  To help in their transition Gilbert and his flock decide to go out dancing at a local club that is frequented by the local shifters.

At the bar, Gilbert watches members of his flock flirt hopelessly at the bar staff and other bar patrons.  While headed to the bar to retrieve drinks for his friends, he runs into a big bear of a man.  Gilbert realizes that not only is this man a shifter, but also his mate.  Gilbert tells Hess that Fate must be mistaken since they are total opposites and that now was not exactly a good time to find his mate as his flock needs him.  Hess must convince his mate that he can have both if he wants.  However, will the information that Hess has retrieved for his friend put a premature stop to this mating before it even begins?

This thirty-first book in the Stone Ridge series introduces two new characters in the series.  We have met Gilbert in passing while he was held captive in Russia but know nothing about him.  His reluctance to mate with Hess is understandable.  First he is the de facto beta to this flock of birds that have been held captive for up to forty years for some of them.  Next, he feels that Hess has betrayed them because government agents are after Hess because of the information that he stole.  The character of Hess was somewhat confusing to me.  He left his clan at 27 because he was stronger than the alpha but is still roaming about as a loner.  And he speaks to others in somewhat youngish manner.  He calls a cougar shifter “kitty” and his mate “pretty slender.”  It just seemed out of place for someone who is as strong as Hess is supposed to be.  But I still enjoyed the book despite this.

The cover art by Angela Waters once again delivers.  It shows Gilbert in the foreground in his human form with Hess in his bear form wandering around a pumpkin patch in the background.  The cover perfectly fits the book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books | Goodreads | Amazon | 

Buy It Here

Book details

ebook, 102 pages
Published October 15th 2015 by Extasy Books
ISBN139781487405496
edition languageEnglish
seriesWolves of Stone Ridge #31

Series:  Wolves of Stone Ridge

A Paul B Review: The Lost Otter (Patching Up #1) by Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Lost Otter coverBrody has not seen Aeden for since he walked away from their relationship six years ago.  What will his return mean to the both of them?  And what is Aeden’s fascination with the otter he has rescued?

Brody is a veterinarian on a small island off the Washington coast.  One day he finds a wounded otter on the front step of his clinic.  Having patched up the otter of his broken bones and finding not much else wrong with it, he puts the animal in a cage.  Having done so, Brody hears a voice from his past telling him to move away from the cage.  It was his former lover Aeden.

Aeden left Brody over six years ago not saying a word to him.  Having left to deal with the passing of his father, Aeden left both men heartbroken.  Now he was back at Brody’s clinic to rescue an otter which is not what he appears to be.  As Brody and Aeden talk, Brody swears he hears a voice saying “Tell him” to Aeden.  It appears that Aeden is actually an otter shifter and the otter in the cage is his wayward brother who is once again in trouble.  After the otter shifts into Aeden’s brother Phillip, Phillip explains that he has run afoul with a clan of bear shifters and they are coming after him.  The three men must get away from the clinic before the shifters find them.  Now that Brody knows Aeden’s secret, will he rekindle the romance between them or once again be heartbroken when Aeden has to leave with his brother?

This is the first book in the authors’ new Patching Up series.  This book was a decent paranormal read but it did not seem to hit all the buttons for me.  Aeden had to leave at the death of his father but it did not seem clear to me that he was made the alpha of the group.  It also seems to turn most ideas of mates on end.  If Aeden and Brody are meant to be together, wouldn’t Aeden have told Brody about mates and shifters before he had to leave to attend to his family?  I also had problems with Brody just walking away from his vet clinic if he is not Aeden’s mate in the normal paranormal sense.  Hopefully these points will be expanded upon as the series continues.

The cover art by Carmen Waters is well done.  The top half shows Brody in his vet coat holding a cat in his arms.  The bottom half has an otter standing on a bank getting ready to dive into the water.  It is a perfect representation of the book.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

Ebook, 40 pages
Published:  October 15, 2015 by Extasy Books
Edition Language:  English
ISBN:  978-1-4874-0526-7
Series:  Patching Up

A Paul B Review: For a Dragon’s Persuasion (Highland Dragons, #7) by Charlie Richards

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

For A Dragon's Persuasion coverThe seventh book in the Highland Dragons series opens as Kaiser and Perth, two members of the black dragon counterintelligence caste, are trying to meet with the chieftain of the MacDuffan clan.  As they wait for the chieftain’s return the next day, Kaiser decides to get some intelligence by bedding the son of the chieftain.  Perth meanwhile, refuses the advances of Hamish, one of the MacDuffan clan’s lead warriors.  Instead, Perth decides to go to the stables to check on his horse, which has a reputation of being aggressive to people whom she does not know.

Aodhan is an apprentice to the stable master.  When Master Doohan realizes that Aodhan is more talented at handling the horses than he is, he makes Aodhan’s life miserable.  However badly Doohan treats him, Aodhan puts up with it since his father bartered his services to the stable master and feels he cannot let his family down.

When Perth gets to the stables, he sees a young man skillfully handling his horse.  As he approaches Aodhan, Perth realizes that the young man is an asda, or human compatible to mate with a dragon.  As the rules of courting asdas have recently been changing, Perth decides to try his luck in wooing the young man.  After having a late dinner with Aodhan, Perth homes his caste leader will back his claim of Aodhan as his mate.  Now he has to hope that the apprentice will accept the world of dragons.

Perth’s plans of a normal courtship are cut short when Kaiser informs him that Hamish has told the chieftain that Perth was seen near the entrance of the chieftain’s daughter’s room late last night.  Even though false, Kaiser suggests that Perth leave the area.  Not wanting to leave his potential mate with the abusive stable master, Perth convinces Aodhan to run away with him.  When Perth is forced to reveal his true form to Aodhan, the young man says dragons are only tales.  Can Perth calm Aodhan’s fears and show him that life with him would be better than the existence he now has?

While I usually enjoy the books in this series, I thought there was something missing with this one.  The romance between Perth and Aodhan was as usual for this series well done.   Readers new to the series are caught up in the author’s world building through Perth’s answers to Aodhan’s questions about dragons.  However, unlike previous books, the conflict (Hamish’s allegations) just did not seem equal to dragon fights or potential clashes between dragons and humans.  In light of the times though, Perth’s concern about Aodhan’s reputation in the clan regarding same sex couples does make sense.

The cover art by Angela Waters once again delivers.  In the foreground is young Aodhan shirtless.  In the background is Perth’s dragon.  Ms. Waters never fails to deliver gorgeous covers for this series.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 78 pages
Published October 1st 2015 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487404796
edition language English

Series:  Highland Dragons

  • For a Dragons Touch (Highland Dragons #1)
  • For a Dragon’s Protection (Highland Dragons #2)
  • For a Dragon’s Treasure (Highland Dragons #3)
  • For a Dragon’s Protection (Highland Dragons #4)
  • For a Dragon’s Redemption (Highland Dragons #5)
  • For a Dragon’s Healing (Highland Dragons #6)
  • For a Dragon’s Persuasion (Highland Dragons #7)

A Paul B Review: Kissed by Nemesis (Kissed by an Immortal, #2) by Andi Anderson

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  ★★★★

Kissed by Nemesis coverJared McHughes must choose between the god he just met and the wayward brother whom Jared thinks can redeem himself. His choice will affect the afterlives of all three men.

Men whom have been slighted by his twin brother are holding Jared McHughes captive. They want his brother to pay for taking their stash of drugs without paying for them. Jared knows that his time is getting short as they are beating him regularly and refusing to give him anything to eat or drink. The only thing that is keeping Jared halfway going is the figure in the corner who appears to be watching things transpire.

Nemesis is the god of vengeance. His duty is to judge humans and send them to their just reward after they have died. Lately though, he has been thinking about the relationship his brother Thanatos, the Grim Reaper, has just started. He too would like to develop such a relationship. He begins to admire what the man he is watching is putting up with. He is also shocked when said man starts to talk to him, begging him to release him from the situation he is currently in.

Nemesis explains to Jared that he is merely there as an observer and cannot interfere with the situation. When Thanatos and his mate Gregory come for Jared after he is shot, Nemesis asks the pair for some time to so that he can see what type of relationship he can build with Jared. Seeing as how Nemesis helped the pair out when they first started out, they agree.

As Jared and Nemesis spend time together, Jared realizes that it will be Nemesis’s duty to judge his brother Carey for the things he has done. He asks the god to give Carey time to straighten himself out and that he is only doing things because of the drugs. This puts Nemesis in a bind. Does he do his job and condemn Carey’s eternal soul or give in to his boyfriend and thus condemn his own? How will each man live with the circumstances of Nemesis’s decision?

I enjoyed this second book in Ms. Anderson’s Kissed by an Immortal series. We meet more of Thanatos and Nemesis’s family in this book, which I thought was missing in the first book. Again, most of the gods featured are second-generation Greek gods who are not usually the focus of many stories, besides maybe Cupid/Eros. I thought the way that Jared was torn between the two men in his life was well written and you could feel his way of thinking begin to change. Nemesis of course makes assumptions for the human, which almost cost them both in the end. I am glad that this series has resumed after a break.

The cover art by Latrisha Waters shows two shirtless men, one pressed against the other. Nemesis’s long hair is on display. It is a decent cover for the book, but nothing extraordinary.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books | All Romance (ARe) |  Amazon |  Buy It Here

Book Details

Ebook, 130 pages
Edition: English
Published: September 15, 2015 by Extasy Books
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0440-6
Series: Kissed by an Immortal

Kissed by Death (Kissed by an Immortal #1)
Kissed by Nemesis (Kissed by an Immortal #2)