Tag: first in a series

A Paul B Review: Crash (Demon Elite 1) by April Kelley

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

CrashElijah Spade’s life got complicated after his mother’s death.  Having had virtually no contact with his mother’s relatives due to their criminal activities, Elijah is now caught up unwillingly in their plans.  Forced to help kidnap another gay man at a club, Elijah decides that is one man is going to die do to his actions, it should be him for helping out his relatives.  However, the attempted escape fails and Elijah and the victim are both captured.  Not knowing what happened to the mark, Elijah is thrown into the family dungeon where he lingers for weeks on end.  Hope comes when a fellow prisoner escapes and sends in help to rescue Elijah.

Crash Morgan is an assassin for the Demon Elite team.  His job is to kill the worst of the worst in society.  Those who die by his hand need to die.  So when his boss tell him that his next assignment is to watch and question a young man who is in the hospital, Crash initially objects.  When goes to the hospital room to watch over Elijah, Crash feels instantly protective of him.  Crash realizes that the man in the hospital bed may have to go to jail so any feelings are inappropriate.  Besides, it is against company policy.  As Crash gets to hear Elijah’s story, he cannot help but feel sorry for the guy.  His feelings for him start to grow also.  So when a pair of dirty cops sent by Elijah’s family show up, Crash takes matters into his own hands and escapes the hospital with Elijah.  Now can he keep them both alive to see if what both men are beginning to feel will grow?

This is the first book in the Demon Elite series by April Kelley.  The story revolves around an elite squad of men who contract out their services to right injustices in the world.  I thought her portrayal of what would be symptoms of PTSD in Elijah was well written.  Elijah’s anxiety attacks and his fear of Crash leaving him were realistic given the circumstances of his imprisonment.  Crash’s mother, who seems to act as a mother to the team, immediately bonds with Elijah after she learns what has happened to him.  The author also sets up future books with a twist that puts the integrity of the Demon Elite team in question.   It will be interesting to see how Crash and company takes on “the big bad.”

Sales Links

eXtasy-WebsiteLogo

Book Details

EBook, 120 pages
Published:  January 1, 2016 by eXtasy Books
Edition Language:  English
ISBN:  978-1-4874-0587-8

Series:  Demon Elite

A Paul B Review: The Werewolf Tutor (Shreds #1) by Jade Astor

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Werewolf TutorGarth Merrick and his two brothers are opening a new shifter friendly bar in Maine.  To say that Garth is not made to be a bartender is an understatement.  The number of broken glasses is a testament to that.  One day their family attorney shows up with a proposition.  One of his friends, a wolf shifter, has a son who is having a difficult time shifting.  Would one of the brothers be willing to tutor the young shifter the proper techniques to shifting?  Garth sees this as an opportunity to avoid broken glass and spend some time in rural Maine where his cougar can roam the country estate.

Braiden Hemmings is a young werewolf shifter who is used to getting his own way.  His father does not like the fact that he is hanging out with members of the other pack that lives in town, as the two packs have had bad blood for years.  Having to go away for business, Braiden’s father decides to hire someone to supposedly help him learn to shift.  Braiden knows the real reason is that his father just wants someone to keep an eye on him with he’s out of town.  Braiden decides to act like the brat that his father thinks he is and seduce the babysitter and run him out of town.  When he catches sight of the gorgeous man brought in, Braiden decides that maybe he shouldn’t run him off so fast.

While the attraction between the two is obvious, Garth resists temptation because he Is being paid to teach this young man.  However, the young men of the rival pack decide to make Braden do their bidding, ordering him to meet them.  Garth warns Braiden about possible trouble.  When Braiden does not show, the pack comes searching for them.  The tutor and student must defend themselves against the invaders if they want to continue their new romance.

This is the first book in the new Shreds series.  I wanted to like the book more but something seemed to fall short for me.  I am not sure if it is the fact that Garth up and leaves his brothers behind as they start a new business or the romance between the two main characters did not click as I thought it should have.  Despite this, I do look forward to the stories of Garth’s brothers.  The idea of a shifter bar provides a good setting for future stories.

The cover by E Connors has our two men in front of a forest setting.  One is shirtless while the other has a zipper cropped sweatshirt on.  It is a decent if generic cover for the book.

Sales Links

        

Book Details

EBook, 66 pages
Edition Language:  English
Published:  April 26, 2016 by Dark Hallows Press
ISBN:  978-1530302451

Series:  Shreds

The Werewolf Tutor (Shreds #1)

A BJ Review: Deductions (Aberrant Magic #1) by Lyn Gala

Rating:    4.25 stars out of 5

DeductionsDarren is proud of his work on the FBI’s magical Talent unit. However, his own lack of magic means he can never be with Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher. The shamanic magic poses a real danger to any mundane who gets too close, so Darren tries to hide his attraction and keep a professional relationship at work. That resolve begins to crumble when a new man sets his sights on Kavon and Darren can’t control his resentment.

Now they have a brutal new case of a suspect targeting magical adepts. Darren tries to keep focused on that crime, but when he starts to show signs of his own magic, he hopes that maybe he can not only be a more effective part of the team but also a real partner to Kavon. He might have a second chance at love if only Kavon can learn to trust his new and unpredictable magic that has changed the rules of the magical game.

Interesting urban fantasy/paranormal world that the author has created here, but then I know she has mad skills in that area from reading and thoroughly enjoying her Assimilations series. Speaking of that series, there’s an analogy that one of the characters uses in this story that related to aliens that I not only liked, but it made me smile because it seemed so very apt.

Well-drawn and likable characters that hooked me early on, which made me extremely joyous to see that a certain annoying little squirrel get moved along as early as he did. I was quickly beginning to want to drop kick him myself. I felt the tension and later the heat between Darren and Kavon perfectly. Intriguing and enjoyable secondary characters of both sexes with much left to explore.

Other than a few areas where I felt a slight drag into too much detail, this is a fast-paced story full of magic, action, tension, and heat with a small helping of fun dialogue and banter thrown in. While the romance arc was tied up and the mystery of who did the kidnapping is solved, although I have a feeling there is far more to it than was revealed. The story is far from wrapped up in this volume, but I would not call it a cliffhanger. Rather an ending to a story that has me eager to read the next book and see what happens to Boucher and his team next as far as the case goes, as well as to see the two men deepen and work out their new relationship.

The cover by Mina Carter is great because it clearly shows the magic, location, and interracial plus both of the guys are hot.

Sales Links:  Loose id LLC | ARe | Amazon


Book Details: 

ebook, 225 pages
Published June 21st 2016 by Loose Id
ISBN139781682521595
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesAberrant Magic #1

A BJ Review: Kestrel’s Talon (The Stonewatchers #1) by Bey Deckard

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

Kestral's TalonFollowing the Prentish/Nemarri war, Kes is rejected by his homeland under the guise of religious purity laws. Though he’s spared execution, the proud Nemarri’s fate is only marginally more merciful than death when he is sold into sexual slavery at a prosperous pleasure house.

Despite his stoic endurance, Kes knows he’s reaching his breaking point, but there is nothing he can do—there is no path to freedom in the Holy Prentish Empire, only a lifetime of humiliating servitude.

That is, until a beautiful young slave and his formidable master approach Kes in the marketplace and make an astonishing offer to take him home with them. The only problem: “home” is the accursed Horthmont Castle from the scare-stories of Kes’s childhood.

Thrown into a world of living myth, powerful magic, and ancient gods, Kes learns the secrets kept hidden by Horthmont’s thick blackstone walls. There he discovers something he thought he’d never know again: hope for the future.

What stood out to me in this fantasy story was the excellent world-building, from the history, to the land (even with maps in the back), to the people, traditions, and clothing, it was detailed, fleshed out, and very real for me. Full of slaves and magic, soldiers and war, and so much more. The story grabbed me in the beginning scene in the market where even people (slaves) are traded, and the three main characters, all introduced in the same scene, were intriguing to me.

Unfortunately, after a very promising beginning, the pace of the book really slowed down for me. More than once I encountered parts of the story that really seemed to drag and which made me feel every one of the four hundred plus pages. 

As for the characters, while I didn’t feel as strong a connection to them as I would have liked, I did find all three of them nuanced and interesting. I enjoyed Talon’s innocence, something he’d kept despite the world he’d lived in; loved his dedication to Grimma and his attitude on life/sex which seemed reasonable from his given past, but his jealousy and manipulations did often annoy me. But his bravery and selflessness later in the story made up for it. Kestrel, who I liked for the most part even though I didn’t feel the closeness I hoped for, threw me off a couple of times with his harsh actions towards Talon. I did feel and understand his anger over what had happened to him, and enjoyed watching him slowly overcome that, but still there were a few times his reactions didn’t sit well with me at all. And then there was Grimma, who I really did enjoy the most and found myself wishing for more time in his head than we were given. The story is from all three main character’s pov, but his is the least used of the three.

I felt that the author did an excellent job of bringing together three very diverse backstories. The secondary characters were well-formed and integral to the story. And I adored Pants (and the name, too) the dog. Loved how he was woven into the story and often made a difference, not just there as a prop. Kestrel’s connection with him fascinated me, and makes me want to red more of the series just to see how that goes and if the theory proposed about that tie (but then negated by another) is actually true or not.

There are many things to love about this story. The triad in this story was quite interesting, especially given that we have a hypersexual who still manages to seem innocent, a man reeling from previous sexual abuse, and an asexual character. But I felt that they worked well together, and although I’m not big on threesomes, I was pretty well sold on them. I could have done without Talon’s jealousy and manipulations though… that was the one sour note for me in their relationship.

I don’t want to say more about the story as I think some things are best discovered as you go along. Overall, I really liked this story. I just wish the pacing had worked better for me.  There were places that felt slow enough that they made me want to skim, and long and detailed flashback sections that rather drew me from the main story. And then when we get to the last 10% or so, the story suddenly felt rushed to me. I wanted way more detail of… well, a lot of stuff.

Finally, there is the matter of this guy near the end that I just wanted to kick in the nuts myself because after doing something that made me livid, he just gets away with it and well… grrr. That part annoyed me. A lot.

The red-haired freckled boy on the cover is perfect, and to be honest, I didn’t pay attention to the amulet he held or the subtle outline of the castle in the background until after I’d finished reading, but that is cool as well. Wish the castle had been more noticeable as it would lend more of the fantasy theme.

Sales Links:   Amazon


Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 426 pages
Published May 23rd 2016
ASINB01FLG3C0M
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Stonewatchers #1

A Stella Review: Succumbing to His Fear by River Mitchell

RATING  4 out of 5 stars

Succumbing To His FearAfter a life changing event makes Alfie the legal guardian of his estranged step-siblings, as well as a chance meeting one drunken night, he finds his world turned upside down when he discovers that everything he thought he knew about himself was catastrophically wrong.

Before meeting Alfie and his family, Fear was content with his casual hookups and one-night stands, purposefully keeping everyone at an arm’s length. As Alfie comes into his burgeoning feelings, a curveball shakes the two men, threatening to destroy Fear and his new found chance at happiness with Alfie.

With everything thrown into turmoil, Fear decides to fight for those he loves, Alfie and his family included. Will they be able to survive the collateral damage around them, or will they lose everything?

Alfie is 24 years old when he gets the news his father, unseen for about two decades, is killed in a car accident. The same dad who built a whole new family which Alfie knew nothing about. His two siblings are now waiting for him to take care of them. Moreover they are in the States, not in London where Alfie lives and to look after them, he needs to move to Pennsylvania. Of course he can’t abandon them and there  will begin a new life to Alfie and his new big family.

I admit I’m a sucker for those kind of stories, I adore reading about children and the first meeting with Griffin and Lily left me with puffy eyes.  I loved the nuggets.The book caught my attention from the start. It was hard to put my kindle down and deal with my RL. I liked the characters, all of them, especially cause I usually enjoy a large support cast and here we had so many great second characters I’d love to read more of. One more thing I loved was how easily Alfie accepted his desire for Fear, no second thoughts, no issues to solve, he just followed his heart and body.

The only reason why I’m giving Succumbing To His Fear “only” 4 stars is due to the mystery part, so unreal, it simply didn’t convince me. But if you can overcome the trite ending, you will find the novel by River Mitchell a pleasure to read. I surely will read the next book in the series about Tate and Talon. Can’t wait!

The beautiful cover by Jay Aheer is a winner to me.

Sale link:  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 185 pages

Published February 26th 2016 by Via Star Wings Books

ASIN B01AVVS3JM

Edition Language English