A PaulB Review: His Sleeping Beau (Wickedly Ever After #2) by Jess Buffett

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

His Sleeping BeauWhen Zanth’s car refuses to start on his twenty-fifth birthday, he didn’t realize that his whole world is about to be turned upside down. He will learn that the life he has lead up until that point has been carefully crafted to protect him from an evil he knows nothing about. With the assistance of his Guardian Liam, Zanth learns of his true nature and must return to his ancestral home in order to face his destiny of the leader of his people.

“His Sleeping Beau” by Jess Buffett is a gay retelling of the classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.” Stephan is the leader of the Ignis Tribe of Mages. At the naming ceremony for his new born son, Aurelius, Stephan’s brother Malcolm shows up and curses the child. By the end of the child’s twenty-fifth birthday, he will prick himself on a sharp point and fall into a death-like sleep.

Flash forward twenty five years. Zanth Aurelius is having a really bad birthday. First, his car won’t start when he finishes his day teaching school. Then a stranger appears as he exits his shower. As Zanth is getting ready to defend himself against this stranger, said stranger says Zanth’s life is in danger and he needs to come with him in order to be safe.
The stranger is Liam, who is a Guardian and Changling who has been assigned to protect Zanth from birth. Hearing windows breaking downstairs, Liam protects Zanth, whom he recognizes as his mate, from the invading force while preparing him for a hasty retreat.

At a safe house, Liam explains to Zanth what is happening to his life. Liam describes the curse that was brought upon Zanth at the naming ceremony and the steps his family took to protect him. One thing that they had done was tell Zanth his birthday was three days before it really was. This was done to provide his protectors time to get Zanth to the tribe in time to claim his role as the new leader of the tribe. While at the safe house, Liam mates with Zanth but they do not complete the bond. They also are visited by the Guardian Elders, whom have an interest in Zanth claiming his rightful spot as the ruler of his people.
On the way to their village, the pair is attacked by a group of sorcerers which include Zanth’s ex-boyfriend. The ex has been working with Zanth’s uncle who is trying to make sure that his curse is carried out. With the assistance of the Elders, the pair manages to break free of this attack and continue on their way to the home village. As they rest at a motel that night, Zanth decides to complete the mating bond.

Once at the village, they find what amounts to a civil war going on. Several of the mages and guardians have sided with Malcolm trying to establish a new order. As the fight rages on, Malcolm takes Zanth prisoner and injects him with a poison that causes him to fall into a deep sleep. Liam takes on Malcolm, killing him in the process. Zanth recovers from the poisoning due to the love and mating bond he has with Liam.

The relationship between Liam and Zanth comes along quickly as most fated mate relationships go. Liam realizes Zanth is his mate when he is in danger. Zanth, who has not grown up in the world of fated mates, feels some type of pull towards Liam is resistant at first. Zanth accepts his feelings and the bond between the two after Liam defends Zanth from the various threats to his well being.

The author brings elements of the paranormal world not usually associated with your typical fairy tale. Adding shifters to the classic tale brings a new unexpected twist to the usual story. I also enjoyed the fact it diverged from the classic tale in that the villain takes a more active role in carrying out the curse.

This is the second book of the Wickedly Ever After series by JK Publishing. Each story is self contained. (The first book retells the story of Robin Hood from a female Robin’s perspective.)

The cover art is by the author and does well in depicting the heroes of the story. It shows Zanth in the foreground with Liam watching over him in the background. Well done cover.

Sales Links: JK Publishing         All Romance eBooks (ARe)      Amazon         His Sleeping Beau

Book Details:
Ebook:
Published: August 26, 2014
Edition: English
Series: Wickely Ever After

Series:
Robin and Her Merry Men (Wickedly Ever After #1) by Willow Brooks (m/f and m/f/m)
His Sleeping Beau (Wickedly Ever After #2) by Jess Buffett (m/m)

Jump Into Fantasy with Jeff Buffett and His Sleeping Beau Tour (contest)

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Jump into Jess Buffett’s fantasy world with her latest release, His Sleeping Beau.  We have a excerpt to read and a contest to enter.  Check them all out below:

hissleepingbeauBook Name: His Sleeping Beau
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Jess Buffett

Author Bio:

Jess Buffett was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. She is a mum of two, married to her high school sweetheart. 

Jess is a hopeless romantic who is a huge fan of M/M and M/F romance with a happy ending—anything with hunky men in all their glory, whether they be Shifters, Vampires, Cowboys, or the boy next door. 

A caffeine addict who shamefully can’t make a decent cup of coffee to save her life, Jess believes in soul mates, happily ever afters, and in love at first sight, but that sometimes people need a second or a third for the brain to catch up.

Author Contact:

Website: http://www.jessbuffett.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JessBuffettAuthor
Email: jessbuffett@gmail.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JessBuffett
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JessBuffettAuthor

Title: His Sleeping Beau by Jess Buffett
Publisher: JK Publishing
Cover Artist: Jess Buffett

Sales Links:  Amazon   ARe    B&N:

His Sleeping Beau Blurb:

Zanth is a teacher making the best of his life until a chance encounter changes everything for him. It leaves him questioning everything: his life, his family, and his ability to love. 

When Guardian Liam is sent to collect his charge and bring him home, the last thing he expected is to discover the young, clueless man is meant to be his. Now he must explain the past to save the future to a man with no knowledge of his worth.

Will a Tribe gain the leader they have waited years for? Does the evil from the past finally receive their vengeance? Or can Liam convince Zanth that apart means death to all but together, they are unstoppable?

Categories: Fantasy, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance

His Sleeping Beau Excerpt:

The lost, almost broken young man in front of him tore his heart in two. How much had his mate suffered all these years alone?
“I wish I could take back the years you lost with your family, the pain you’ve felt…but I can’t.” Liam stood, walking over and reaching out to Zanth. He slid his hand around the back of Zanth’s neck, tugging the younger man forward. Zanth came without struggle, his eyes dim with grief. Bringing their lips until they were just a hair’s breath away, he whispered, “You are so very important to me, Zanth. Not because of your position in our Tribe, not because I have been ordered here. I will keep you safe, give you the family you were supposed to have…and I make this promise, not as the Guardian assigned to bring you home, but as someone who cares very deeply for you.”

Tour Dates/ Stops:HSBBadgeTemplate

September 29: Parker Williams
September 30: Nephylim, MM Good Book Reviews
October 1: My Fiction Nook, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Fallen Angel Reviews, Queer Town Abbey
October 2: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Amanda C. Stone
October 3: Cate Ashwood

Rafflecopter Prize: Copy of His Sleeping Beau & a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the
Rafflecopter Code provided for the entry form and for additional contest details:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

On Tour with Rae Brewer and David’s Dilemma! (contest)

 

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Rae Brewer’s David’s Dilemma

Book Tour and Contest

For contest details and link, scroll down after the excerpt to the end of the post. And look for my upcoming review of David’s Dilemma!

Jaguar Bk 4Book Name: David’s Dilemma
Author Name: Rae Brewer

  • Author Bio: Rae Brewer is new to writing romance and has found a niche in the M/M paranormal genre. After growing up in San Francisco, Rae now calls Chicago home. Author Contact: Facebook

Publisher: JK Publishing, Inc
Cover Artist: Jess Buffett

 David’s Dilemma Blurb: It’s been three years since David broke up with Michael. He’s ready to find his mate. Only the only man he’s attracted to at all is a hookup from a bar. After hours of passion they separate and David only discovers the next morning the man was his mate. Where can he find him again? And what is his name?

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David’s Dilemma Excerpt:

David woke late Sunday afternoon with a headache, which didn’t seem fair because he hadn’t drunk very much the night before. Damn head cold! He still remembered every minute of the night before. Part of him wished he’d broken his own rule and let the handsome hunk stay over. He got what he wanted, he would have blown me off when he saw me in the light of day. Getting out of bed he stumbled to the bathroom sneezing. He decided to take a hot shower, the steam would clear up his sinuses, for a while. He wanted a clear head so he could convince himself it was time to settle down and find a forever love. No more casual sex!

Setting the temp as hot as he could stand, he stepped into the oversized stall. The room quickly filled with steam and his nose started running. He gave a fleeting thought to the scents he was washing down the drain before he remembered his sheets. His cougar wasn’t very happy with him for kicking HH, the handsome hunk, out of their bed and was pouting by being silent. Of course his cougar was generally subdued when he was showering.

After twenty minutes in the steam his muscles were loose and he could breathe again, for now. Stepping out of the shower onto the bathmat he grabbed a clean towel off the shelf and after a quick rub down, wrapped it around his waist. Taking a look in the mirror he decided to take some cold medicine and spend the day being lazy. He was already envisioning a long afternoon on the couch snuggled in a blanket with a pitcher of lemon water and some chicken soup within easy reach. I’m wallowing, because I already miss him.

First though, he needed to strip the bed and put the sheets in the wash. Later, he knew he’d want cool fresh sheets to sleep in. And right now he was as awake, alert, and as energetic as he was going to be for the rest of the day. Walking through the door to the bedroom the scents from his sheets hit him all at once. His inner cat roared and David was so surprised he didn’t stop the shift.

Leaping onto the bed in his puma form, he rolled around in the sheets before sneezing. Sitting up in the bed he had a sheet wrapped around him, the end flopping over his head. He could see his reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. Big tough cat, not! Mate! We found our mate!
Shifting back into his human form allowed him to say what he was thinking. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Untangling himself from the bedding he began to pace around the room. I don’t even know his name!

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DavidsDilemmaBadgeTour Dates: 9/4/14
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Prism Book Alliance, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Velvet Panic, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Guilty Indulgence Book Club, Andrew Q. Gordon, The Hat Party, Cathy Brock Romances, MM Good Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire, Multitasking Mommas, Up All Night, Read All Day, Iyana Jenna, Redz World, Nic Starr, Carly’s Book Reviews, Michael Mandrake

Rafflecopter Code:    a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: One of three copies of David’s Dilemma.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Prize awarded is not supplied by ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.  See the Rafflecopter link  above for entry form and additional contest details.