A MelanieM Release Day Review: Pyresnakes by Tray Ellis

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

There is another world existing alongside the one most see everyday, and although it is a place of magic and wonder, the dangers are very real.

Aran, an artist, grew up on his grandmother’s tales of the Side-by-Side world. He never expected his knowledge of folklore would aid his boyfriend, Brandon, in an arson investigation, but the snakes that burst into flames when agitated are something he recalls from those childhood stories.

When Aran vanishes, Brandon knows his time as a state trooper won’t help find him, so he enlists the aid of Aran’s grandmother, Ruth, and they venture into the Side-by-Side world.

But Aran has no memory of his life prior to crossing between worlds, and he’s enjoying the company of his handsome new companion, Ren. Even if Brandon and Ruth reach him, convincing him to return to his former home won’t be easy. In a contemporary fairy-tale adventure set among forests and trails, Aran must choose between a mystical fantasy world and the man he loves.

Pyresnakes by Tray Ellis has a very neat premise, some elements of fascinating world building and an execution in the storytelling that just doesn’t rise to meet either of those to the potential indicated. It comes close at points and the author’s imagination really soars with the creation of the Pyresnakes and the Side by Side world. Those snakes are a magical touch, combusting into flames when threatened and called, lying harmlessly about when not. I especially loved the reason behind their name and their role in the Side by Side universe. Made perfect poetic sense as did their reason for being in the “normal” one.

What didn’t make sense? Brandon’s reaction to the whole “snakes on fire” thing. Even after seeing them in action, he’s almost lackluster about such an astonishing creature. Even after Aran tells him about their mythology. In fact, Brandon’s easy acceptance and lack of incredulity, amazement, any believable reaction here made me quickly lose interest in him as a character. I didn’t believe in his relationship to Aran simply because it felt as though the man had no honest emotions. The word I’m looking for is cardboard.

I adored Ruth and the denizens of the Side by Side world. Far more interesting than this one, including Ren and his brand of revenge and justice. Just couldn’t understand by Aran wanted to return to Brandon myself. Ellis didn’t ever deliver a real relationship between the two of them before Aran disappears so again the reader is at odds to figure out why we should root for Aran to return to Brandon when everything in the Side by Side world is far more interesting and in tune with Aran then the one he left behind.

How he finds Aran is a neat little tale on its own but the reunion? Bland and sort of anticlimactic. The romance alone would get 2 stars because there just doesn’t feel like any connection between the MCs. What saves this story is the world building and creations here. Told from both povs, we travel with Aran in the Side by Side world as well as with Brandon in the ‘regular” universe, keeping tabs on both as the search for Aran continues, Aran’s memory loss deepens and Ruth and Brandon get increasingly desperate to find Aran. Aran’s journey is magical as is everything he sees. There’s the story, it’s his road we want to be on, his and Ruth his grandmother. A wonderful thing in a fantasy, a sad thing to say in a romance.

If this sounds like something you would enjoy, grab it up.

Cover Artist: Christine Griffin is dramatic and covers a scene in the story. Well done.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 143 pages
Expected publication: June 28th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB071WR7SJC

A MelanieM Review: Wytch & Prinze by Kassandra Lea

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Medium Jacob Wytch lives in the forest with his fluffy dog Gruff and his ghostly fairy godmother Amelie. When he gets a call from his friend Renwick Prinze, he panics. Jacob has been pining for Renwick longer than he cares to admit. Instead of admitting, however, he listens to Amelie and begins to sabotage Renwick’s beds in hopes of inviting his dashing friend to sleep with him.

Wytch & Prinze by Kassandra Lea is a retelling of the Princess and the Pea fairytale turned M/M romance and it’s a fun one. Successful medium Jacob Wytch and his dog Gruff live alone in the forest, an outcast in town due to the nature of his gifts and his name which is of no comfort at all to his superstitious townspeople. His best friend, living that is? Renwick, a chef gaining favor and success, due in part to Jacob’s help. But there’s more to it, Jacob’s fallen in love with Renwick but is too scared to change the status quo of their current friends relationship.

In a cute turn, Lea has his fairy godmother be a ghost, Amelie, a young girl killed during a fire at a Rave. I really loved the character of Amelie. She’s quirky, determined and I honestly wanted to know so much more about her. I could actually see an entire series built around Amelie and the people she decided to help.

Which brings me the reason why a story I found so charming wasn’t rated higher. I loved the premise, the setting, the dog, and absolutely adored Amelie. Jacob Wytch, who was a wreck when we meet him, I liked him too. Not adored, liked. Ditto Renwick. I wish I had more of a feeling of them together, their friendship prior and who they really were as people. As characters, the author didn’t give me enough of a connection to them as I would have liked to have had.

There are some missed opportunities to do just that here. The author brings the characters together, but the readers only get a few scenes (not talking of sex but connectivity) to see any chemistry. Instead it’s more conversations with Amelie or internal arguments with themselves, which would work if the story itself had been much longer. Which it isn’t.

Those are the places where I feel the author missed the mark. Overall, the story is a sweet, cute, romantic fairy tale. I enjoyed it and wish the author would revisit the characters and universe again to give us an update on them and of course, Amelie!

Cover artist Natasha Snow: Cover art tells us immediately we’re in fairy-tale land. I liked it.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press LLC

Book Details:

ebook, 10,000 words, 20 pages plus
Published April 19th 2017 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620049969
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: The Pinch of the Game by Charley Descoteaux

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Being a witch doesn’t mean one can beat the devil forever.

Jeffrey Overton, unemployed IT professional turned poker player, pushes his luck once too often and runs afoul of the host of an illegal card club. The man sent to escort Jeffrey to a “meeting” about his supernatural winning streak arrives at Jeffrey’s crappy North Portland apartment, lock-picking tools in hand and a charm to block Jeffrey’s magick.

Head muscle for said host, Mike Wells, is a Daisy from Daisyville. He isn’t a witch. What he lacks in magickal talent he makes up for in brawn, so he doesn’t expect the guy he’s after to overpower him. But once Mike renders Jeffrey helpless, he’d rather seduce him than bring him in.

Jeffrey and Michael ditch the “meeting” and end up hunting some of the same people they ran from, trying to get Jeffrey back into his own body. And that’s only part of the adventure. The pair travel halfway across the country on the quietest road trip in history and find missing people, empire-building witches, and maybe even the families they’d both thought lost to them.

I really like Charley Descoteaux because even as sections of this story had me grinding my teeth in frustration her characters of Jeffrey Overton and Mike Wells are so endearing and charming that they swayed me over to their side and kept me there for the duration of The Pinch of the Game. No matter how many times along the narrative path I wanted to stop due to poor universe construction or illogical character traits, their engaging ways and winning natures carried me through one bumpy writing obstacle after another.

We start off in an alternate universe that’s never really given any explanation or foundation. There are witches, but of what type and magical basis we just don’t know. There are non-magical humans as well, like Mike, but again, little background or history is given. At first (I missed the note at first), I thought The Pinch of the Game must be part of a series I had missed. As a stand alone that lack of foundation and grounding in world building leaves this story feeling as though it is the middle part of a much larger story. What’s worse? The knowledge in the foreword that this story started out as a short story and was enlarged to this version. *shakes head*

Jeffrey is a Stumptown witch and “A Stumptown witch doesn’t go far from the source of his power”, except when he does. In search of his mother, another witch in a bad situation that is never quite explored and whose resolution comes far too quickly for the buildup. There is some stomach churning body switching and more, none of which really makes any sense which is probably ok because neither does the plot. I just liked reading about Jeffrey and Mike and their developing relationship. That saved this story for me.

Of course, the whole thing came close to being derailed one more with a little scene at the end where unexpected and sort of jaw dropping facts came out about Jeffrey. With no basis laid anywhere in the story for this and no way to substantiate their truthfulness or weigh the impact upon Mike and Jeffrey’s relationship because the story just ends, the reader is just left hanging, wondering again what they had just read.

Only Charley Descoteaux’s terrific imagination and two main characters saved this story from a lower rating. I love this author but this story was just too disorganized and jumbled to make any sense.

Cover art by AngstyG is wonderful. I love the design and 20’s feel. Great job.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |The Pinch of the Game Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 98 pages
Published June 24th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632169068
edition languageEnglish

A Mika Review: Ink and Shadows (Ink and Shadows #1) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Kismet Andreas lives in fear of the shadows.

For the young tattoo artist, the shadows hold more than darkness. He is certain of his insanity because the dark holds creatures and crawling things only he can see—monsters who hunt out the weak to eat their minds and souls, leaving behind only empty husks and despair.

And if there’s one thing Kismet fears more than being hunted—it’s the madness left in its wake.

The shadowy Veil is Mal’s home. As Pestilence, he is the youngest—and most inexperienced—of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, immortal manifestations resurrected to serve—and cull—mankind. Invisible to all but the dead and insane, the Four exist between the Veil and the mortal world, bound to their nearly eternal fate. Feared by other immortals, the Horsemen live in near solitude but Mal longs to know more than Death, War and Famine.

Mal longs to be… more human. To interact with someone other than lunatics or the deceased.

When Kismet rescues Mal from a shadowy attack, Pestilence is suddenly thrust into a vicious war—where mankind is the prize, and the only one who has faith in Mal is the human the other Horsemen believe is destined to die.

More solid writing from Rhys Ford in Ink and Shadows. I love her writing style. I think this is the lowest rating I’ve given one of her books. Well it’s not the writing or the story, it was me. I could not get into it, and I’m sad that I wasn’t able to grasp it like I would have liked to. I went into this book knowing UF (urban fantasy) is not really my thing. I liked a lot of the story. I loved the introductions of all the characters. I liked the religious aspects of some of it. I wish the world building and I would have gotten along more. I don’t have the patience for UF, and a lot of this story was slow paced, and just reading about the foundation of how everything has come about.

At the 50% I felt an inkling of joy for the romance portion of this book. Just inkling. There NO romance in the story. I really like Rhys Ford and picked this story up expecting some romance but didn’t realize that DSP Publications is an imprint that doesn’t publish romance stories. Being that this is not a romance story I felt like the emotional part was lacking a lot in the story. Kismet and Mal both had the potential that I like when it comes to her guys, but again it’s UF and that was the focus for the story. I know she wrote the characters to be built up for a series. It makes sense to have the introductions, and characters relationships out in the opening. I just wanted a smidge more.

I think for myself when it comes to Rhys Ford I’m very biased about her characters. I want them all to have that Cole & Jae love aspect, but it doesn’t work like that. My favorite thing about this book was Mal. Reading about him, he just seemed so young, and innocent in the beginning, but he has this protective streak a mile long with Kismet. I love that name as well. I thought the Four is a really good concept; it’s something I’m familiar with. I loved Death; his entire persona had me thinking of Supernatural’s Death who is my favorite Horseman ever. I’d recommend this to readers of UF. This is a perfect book for them. Great intro to the story, as well as characters.

Cover Art by Anne Cain: This cover is definitely one of my favorite out the year. I loved it, such a in your face representation of what Kismet is in the book. Very beautiful.

Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 304 pages
Published July 7th 2015 by DSP Publications
original titleInk and Shadows
ISBN139781634760171
edition languageEnglish
seriesInk and Shadows #1

Its Fantasy and Romance with Surrounded by Crimson (Sumeria’s Sons #4) by Lexi Ander (excerpt and giveaway)

Surrounded by Crimson (Sumeria’s Sons #4) by Lexi Ander
Release Date: July 1, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Cover Artist: Londen Burden

Sales Link: Less Than Three Press | Amazon

Tristan has agreed to bond with Ushna but there is still much to do and returning to Tribe Enkidu puts everyone on edge. Tristan is being stalked like prey all the while fighting depression as he mourns the loss of Nikita and enduring a battle of wills with the Elder Council over his birthright. The pleading of his adoptive daughter only adds still more stress to the situation.

Stumbling onto a secret prison while searching for Ushna leads Tristan to risk everything to free a lost God. But breaking the tie to his Flame has more repercussions than Tristan knew and the assistance of a forgotten Goddess and a centuries old lover may not be enough to save him.

Pages or Words: 48,000 words

Categories: M/M Romance, Menage/Poly, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Ushna was out of the car and greeting his parents before I unbuckled the seatbelt. Hami wasn’t as tall as his son but he was wide, very wide, barrel-chested with a set of deltoids on him the size of small children. His dark hair was cut above the ears and I’d never seen the man without at least three days growth of facial hair. It looked good on him. That kind of scruff made me resemble a bum.

Donya was tall and lean, one of those women who had a natural sway when she walked. Her blue-black hair fell to her waist in thick glossy waves. Her skin was a deep almond, darker than her husband’s or son’s, and her bright, emerald-green eyes were large and expressive.

They both greeted Ushna with festive exuberance, and why not? I’d kept him away from them for a very long time. I observed them for a moment over the hood of the SUV. Hami picked his son up in a bear hug, laughing loud and boisterous. Donya took his face between her palms as she gazed deeply into his bi-colored eyes—eyes that were forever changed by me. At that thought, I wondered how they truly perceived me. My stomach rolled with anxiety-induced queasiness.

With all the grace of someone my size, I made my way into the house, leaving Ushna to his family reunion. I had hoped we wouldn’t see them until after the children were born. I’d entered the home stretch of my pregnancy. Even with the ring of illusion, I had a hard time hiding my condition. Early in my pregnancy, Gregori had fashioned a ring of magic, creating the illusion that hid my continually growing stomach and constructed a normal appearance.

A pregnant male wasn’t something we wanted to explain to humans. With the looming threat of assassination, if my identity was discovered, we thought it best to continue to keep my birthright a secret until after the children were born. So I’d continue to wear the illusion even though the ring wasn’t much help now. The giveaway was in the walk and the way I stood. People could see there was something different by how I held my body and it couldn’t be helped. I was able to hurry, in spurts, and then I lumbered like an elephant—very National Geographic.

Neesie followed me into the kitchen. She was dressed differently than what I’d become accustomed to. Gone were the combat boots, black jeans, and white tees. She wore a pale blue silk blouse, a pinstriped pencil skirt, and knee-high black stiletto boots. She appeared fierce in a whole new way.

“Why didn’t you wait and greet Ushna’s parents?” she asked.

With a plate in hand, I inspected the cold cuts tray that sat on the kitchen counter. I was starved and wanted something quick to eat before everyone came in. When I didn’t answer Neesie, she took the plate from me and started placing fresh vegetables on it.

“I thought I’d give them some time to catch up,” I finally replied. It wasn’t a complete lie. “They haven’t had their son to themselves in quite some time. They don’t need me hanging out in the background.”

Neesie pinned me with her golden-brown gaze. “That is such bullshit and you know it. What’s the real issue?”

I quirked a smile at her. “You know I love ya?”

“Yes, and you’re the one who called me for dating advice because you suck at subtle. Your ‘hey moron, get your hands off my sister’ ranked right up there.”

“I can’t help it if Mr. Octopus Arms was oblivious to his audience.”

“Go ahead and keep playing that song because I know you still refer to him as Lonnie Fucking-Fowler. Before you walked into the house, your face turned green and you practically sprinted in here.”

“Ahh, stampede!” I gave mock crowd screams. Neesie was not impressed.

“Spill, jackass.” She shoved a full plate into my hands and a chair under my ass. Neesie glared at me but her expression was filled with concern.

“Fine, you tyrant. I wanted to make a good impression. I wanted to be able to show them that I am a strong partner and worthy of their son’s love and devotion. But right now I’m huge, and miserable, and swollen, and hungry. Why did you give me carrots? You know I hate carrots. You’re trying to torture me, aren’t you? I’m an elephant, not a rabbit. I get like peanuts or something, not Bugs Bunny hand-me-downs.” I threw the carrot at my cackling sister. The woman was not remorseful.

“Tristan.”

I threw another carrot at Neesie before turning to see who called for me. I swallowed a curse as I faced Donya. She stood in the doorway, her large green eyes soft and liquid as she searched my expression.

“Ma’am?” Embarrassingly, my voice cracked like I was fourteen years old.

“How can we not be proud of you, son?” Donya crossed the room in a smooth glide and gently took me in her arms. “We’ve always been proud of you, Tristan, don’t ever believe differently.” Tentatively I embraced her in return and ignored Neesie’s sniffles.

Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Where to find the author:
Web site: http://www.lexiander.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexi.ander.9
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LexiAnder1
Blog: http://lexiander.blogspot.com/
E-mail: lexi.ander.author@gmail.com

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and Prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win the Rafflecopter Prizes:
• Prize offered: $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Surrounded by Crimson, swag (pens, bookmarks)
• $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Surrounded by Crimson, swag (pens, bookmarks)
• hard copy of Surrounded by Crimson, swag (pens, bookmarks)
• e-book copy of Surrounded by Crimson
• e-book copy of Surrounded by Crimson

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A MelanieM Review: Blowing Smoke (SoulShares #5) by Rory Ni Coileain

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Lasair Faol, Master of the Fade-Hounds to the Royal court of the Demesne of Fire in the Fae Realm, has been exiled to the human world by the Princess Consort for failing to catch her son’s kidnapper. Bryce Newhouse, Greenwich Village investment banker, is universally loathed by all who know him. Generally, he’s perfectly cool with that, but he discovers what he’s been missing—literally — when he finds Lasair chained in his basement.

Bryce was supposed to receive half of Lasair’s soul at his birth, but thanks to the Fae of Purgatory, the Pattern — the portal between the worlds — has been damaged, and Bryce’s soul arrived 31 years too late. Now the exiled Fae is the shunned human’s only hope of healing his broken past. And with the fate of two worlds riding on that healing, Lasair is going to have to overcome both his race’s innate mistrust of genuine emotion and his own very unFae awkwardness, to have any chance of reaching Bryce’s impenetrable heart.

Rory Ni Coileain’s SoulShares series has always been a favorite of mine. It takes magic, hot sex, lovers, the Fae, a malevolent monster to make the strong shudder and combines them all into a gritty urban fantasy series I just can’t get enough of. Luckily for me, the author just released another SoulShares novel with another on the way.

Blowing Smoke (SoulShares #5) by Rory Ni Coileain may be my favorite of the series, something that kind of shocks me. The other stories had more than their share of unbelievable angst and in one case torture (see monster), plus a world building and Fae culture that was fantastic. And then there were those marvelous couples, the SoulShares, each couple contains a Fae soul split in two, each holding a half. The men/Fae or Fae/Fae relationships are so complex and the men involved so different from each other, that each book was a true joy to read.

One common element in each story? A well-off jerk named Bryce who figured largely as a boyfriend from hell for one of the main characters, Terry. His interactions with all were not only disastrous emotionally but physically as well. His actions almost proved lethal several times over. Bryce was that character you loved to hate. And when combined with the Marfach (the evil), well, that was a team to make your stomach churn and your heart hurt. So guess who is a main character here? Yes, that would be Bryce. Blowing Smoke is all about redemption, second chances, and the fight to become someone better, someone worthy of love. Powerful stuff, indeed.

Someone else needing a second chance? That would be Lasair Faol, Master of the Fade-Hounds to the Royal court of the Demesne of Fire in the Fae Realm. He and his Hounds failed twice to keep the Prince of the Realm safe. For his failures, the Prince’s mother (now a Consort) threatens to kill all his beloved Fade-Hounds. Instead, Lasair agrees to take the blame to save them, ending up thrown through the portal and having his soul severed in two. The anquish of that scene would be bad enough but just prior to the Princess Consort’s arrival, Lasair has found a newly birthed Fade-Hound, blind and seemingly dead. But the pup blinked back to life when Lasair picked him up. Immediately a connection is formed between the pup and Lasair, and the reader. How do you not love a character who saves a blind puppy and his hounds from death? That pup, named Setanta, becomes as much a main character as any of the other Fae in the series. How? That is such a wonderful element here I wouldn’t think of spoiling it for you. I adore that hound and want more, so much more of Setanta in his adult form.

Now you have three characters all in precious need of second chances, the one they’ve just been given. And the obstacles in front of any possibility of happiness includes not only their own fears but the other Fae couples (from the previous novels) and the monster returning for another battle. This story has so many layers that it would make a onion weep with envy. Or just weep. I know I was reaching for the tissues several times while reading the story. And its Rory Ni Coileain’s writing that makes it all spring to life, with battle scenes of breathtaking action and movement, tender moments of heartbreak and pain, and finally sexy and soft ones of joy and acceptance. Yep, this wowser of a story has become my favorite. And Bryce and Lasair (and Setanta) my top couple. Amazing and such an unexpected delight.

I was still sighing with contentment at the end of the story when I noticed this:

Sneak Peek: Mantled in Mist
Prologue July 17, 1913 (human reckoning) The Realm

Yes! There’s another SoulShares story coming. And that teaser? Made me want to find Rory Ni Coileain and find out when I can expect this story.

New to the SoulShares series? What a great series awaits you! The books should be read in the order they were written and released. That’s really the only way to understand the characters, plot development and overall series timelines. Each book builds on the other and while the author includes some past history, it won’t be enough for some readers to understand everything that has/is occurring. That’s the only reason this book isn’t a 5 star rating that my heart says it deserves.

Love the Fae and fantasy? Love a little hurt/comfort with your romance? And puppies too? Blowing Smoke has it all! I highly recommend this series and author. Now I’m settling in to wait for Mantled In Mist (SoulShares #6), read them all and come wait with me.

Cover Artist: Insatiable Designs. The men are certainly handsome and close to my idea of the characters. But where is that magical element?

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

Book Details:

ebook
Published July 12th 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781626012110
series SoulShares #5

SoulShares Series in the order they were written and should be read (add them to your Goodread list):

A Sammy Review: Where There’s Smoke (Panopolis #1) by Cari Z.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I mean, it was one thing to date the guy who’d keyed the principal’s car in high school, but another entirely to get together with someone who was rapidly climbing Panopolis’s Most Wanted list.

Edward Dinges has always been attracted to the super way of life in Panopolis. It’s a place where the Heroes and Villains meet on a regular basis and the society is as much based on presence as it is the economy. He’d always hoped to meet a hero, but he never dreamed of falling in love with a villain, and one day changes those expectations.

He’s just a guy working at a bank. Except that his boyfriend is a Villain with a thing for bombs and he’s got a Hero who seems to not think that having a boyfriend is a valid reason for the answer “no”. It’s just a matter of time until the world of good, evil, and just plain normal collide.

His eyes were fixed on me, glittering points of light within the matte-gray shadows on his skin. “I’m a bad man.”

“You’re a Villain,” I said. “But that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

So here’s the thing… I loved this! Plain and simple, it was just so much fun that I could hardly sit still from all the giddiness it brought me.

From the very first page (or, well, the dedication actually), I was sucked into this amazing and funky world that Cari Z. created. She took bits of reality and bits of all those fun comic books and movies we’ve all seen and then twisted it into this really fabulous story. In doing so, she was able to both reach deep into this theme and hit some of the topics we all wonder about (like who is the man behind the mask who ever fears) and add in some undeniable humor that again, we all think about (like how completely ridiculous some of the stories behind our favorite heroes and villains are).

She does a beautiful job of mixing characters that we traditionally shrug off as villains and making them real and human. They’re no longer these beings so far off that we can pretend are monsters (well, some of them, because I still think Pinball has some issues), but now they’re people like your brother or sister, your parents, your neighbors.

Maybe it’s not that our Heroes are perfect, maybe it’s that our legal system is broken in the same way they are.

The world felt so tangible to me, especially with the blog posts at the beginning of each chapter, which featured a really sincere and blunt look at the underpinnings of society in Panopolis. They were some of my favorite parts, as they really put things into perspective. I kind of want to know who is behind the blog posts, because I feel like they have an interesting story to tell.

I would’ve loved to see more of the relationship building between Raul and Edward in the beginning, but I was so enthralled by the general plot and world that it didn’t bother me too much. I just wanted to see more of the build up for them. We heard about it in passing, but only got a small glimpse, and I hungered for more. I also think the author could’ve pushed it more at times when it came to how conflicting feelings of love are with knowing what your lover does when he leaves, but that’s just me being picky.

I really hope there’s more than just one sequel, because I could get seriously into this world… like, I could bury myself in it and dance with glee. I’m seriously looking forward to the next one. Great read!

The cover art by L.C. Chase is quite nice. It definitely fits the identity of the Mad Bombardier and helps make it easier to picture him as a villain. My only complaint is the high contrast around the pants, but that’s more of a designers nitpicking than anything else. In general, it’s a lovely cover to pair with a kick-ass story.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 88 pages
Published April 27th 2015 by Riptide Publishing (first published April 25th 2015)
ISBN139781626492967
edition languageEnglish
seriesPanopolis #1

On Tour with Angela Beneditti’s Bits of Magic (excerpt and giveaway)

Bits of Magic by Angela Benedetti
Release Date: May 6, 2015

Sales Links: Torquere Press

About Bits of Magic

There’s magic in the world, and its hiding in plain sight. Your friends, your neighbors, the guy who runs your favorite restaurant — any of them could be more than they seem. A man trick-or-treating with his son finds the courage to go after what he wants when he confiscates and eats some unwrapped candy. A park ranger who’s afraid of outing himself in public is reminded that his lover will — and can — protect him, no matter what. An apprentice mage learns that his master never forgets when he has a lesson to finish, and will always come for him when he gets himself lost in magic. And a boy from a mage-gifted family learns that life isn’t over just because the gift has passed him by. Return to the world of Hidden Magic.
Pages or Words: About 27,000 words

Categories: Alternate universe, BDSM, Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

(Note from the author: Note that this is a collection of short stories. All the stories take place in the same fictional universe, but they have different themes and devices. Only one story has BDSM elements, for example. And only one is erotica. One is romantic but has no sex that’s meant to be titillating.)

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: BS Clay

Excerpt:

Sebastiano Fiorentelli studied the calendar — a freebie from the Humane Society with photos of puppies and kittens on it — on the wall of his cluttered basement laboratory and observed that it was the thirtieth day of October. Since emigrating to the United States and discovering the Halloween custom of sending children around to beg for treats, he’d made a habit of including something extra in the candy he made for the occasion each year. By the Nineteen-seventies, when hysteria over poison and razor blades swept the population, Mr. Fiorentelli had been living in his San Jose neighborhood long enough that no one fussed about letting their children eat his wax-paper-wrapped candies.

He paced back and forth in front of open cabinets and crowded shelves, pondering what to make this year, until finally he stopped and nodded.

“Courage,” he said. “This year, I think I’ll make courage…”

About the author:

Angela Benedetti lives in Seattle with her husband, five computers, and thousands of books. She started writing as a teenager, and discovered soon after that romances with two hot guys are twice as good as romances with only one. When she’s not at the computer, she enjoys cooking and baking, going to science fiction conventions, and cruising with her husband. She’s one of the few people in the universe who loses weight on cruises. (Must be all those walking-around shore tours and the lack of free internet access.) Her favorite mainstream fiction genres are science fiction and fantasy, both of which tend to seep into her own writing; the Hidden Magic series is a fun blend of romance and fantasy.
Where to find the author:

Blog: http://www.angiebenedetti.com/blog/
Livejournal: http://angelabenedetti.livejournal.com/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100361343167913966179/about
 Tour Dates & Stops: May 4, 2015

Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, Inked Rainbow Reads, BFD Book Blog, My Fiction Nook, Full Moon Dreaming, Molly Lolly, Carly’s Book Reviews, Velvet Panic, Bayou Book Junkie, Cate Ashwood, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Multitasking Mommas, MM Good Book Reviews, Divine Magazine, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Mikky’s World of Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Kimi-Chan, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My

Contest: Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

Rafflecopter Prize: An e-copy of the novel that started the series, A Hidden Magic.

Rafflecopter Code:
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A BJ Review: A King’s Ransom by Lia Black

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Kaidos Vailinn is a Wander-born thief trying hard to overcome an unfortunate past when he’s approached by a gentleman offering him a large sum of money to recover a kidnapped prostitute for return to the King of a distant kingdom. Kaidos is surprised when he undertakes the mission and discovers upon trying to bed Veyl that not only is the prostitute in question the highest paid companion in the brothel, but also very much male.

Thus begins a journey of epic fantasy proportions. A King’s Ransom is a longish book separated into two parts. Part One was awesome—I adored it. Veyl and Kaidos are sexy, quirky well-developed characters that captivated me and had me thoroughly invested almost immediately. I was absolutely riveted watching them fall in love on their journey across the kingdom to an unknown end. As their pasts are revealed in all its delicious angst, they had me enthralled. Then about midway through came part two and everything changed.

At that point, the book shifted from a tightly focused love story to a sprawling Lord of the Rings style epic set within a complex world of elves, werecreatures, mages and demons in a kingdom of political intrigue. The storyline complexity bumped up to encompassed three m/m love stories, and to facilitate that there are several new POV characters introduced. None of them were bad, in fact, all were interesting and well-drawn. But I’d become so completely invested in Veyl and Kaidos, that this shift threw me.

The entire book is well-written with compelling characters, wonderful storytelling and world-building. Part two just wasn’t the story that I personally craved after having become engrossed in part one. Having the main couple separated for nearly the whole second part of the book had me itching to hurrying through all the other fun stuff going on in order to get back to the relationship of Veyl and Kaidos again. In the end, the brief time on-page after they were reunited left me wanting just a bit more.

Veyl and Kaidos are an awesome couple. I enjoyed them so much that my only niggle with this book centers around my annoyance at having them share the spotlight with any other couples no matter how interesting and fun they were.

Cover Artist: Cinchbug. I appreciated the cover more after reading the story than before.

Sales Links: Smashwords All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 432 pages
Published February 1st 2014 by Smashwords
original titleA King’s Ransom
ISBN139781311782328
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Splat by Alana Ankh

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Splat!

That’s the sound Deacon Hearst hears when something hits his windshield. But what could it be? It’s unlike anything that Deacon has seen before and with good reason. It is a fairy—or rather a Sidhe—with a gaze the color of the moon and thus eloquently named Mooneyes. The little creature’s wing is broken by the windshield and its beginning to pour. What can Deacon do but take the fairy home to heal.

But as Deacon nurses Moon back to health, he discovers Moon’s beauty is more than skin deep. Though they’re very different, especially in size, they’re alike in their loneliness, their need for affection. Despite the weirdness of the situation, Deacon finds himself falling for Moon.

Moon is starting to feel the same. But they are separated by more than size, their worlds and families are about to collide. But Moon has a few secrets of his own, secrets that could change both their paths for life.

I have to admit it was that cover, title and plot of Splat that pulled me in. It was funny and warped enough that I had high hopes for the humor content inside. Instead what I found was a sweet, if not completely memorable, M/M fantasy romance by Alana Ankh. And it started off so well…

The story opens with Deacon fleeing his parents home and their continual attempts to see him straight and married to a daughter of one of their friends, no matter how often he tells them he is gay. To add to his poor mood, it begins to rain. And on his trip back home to his house in the woods, a fairy hits his windshield like a Palmetto bug on steroids. It’s pretty darn humerous right down to the sound effects of whooshing of the wipers and the visual effects of a small miserable fae going back and forth across the glass (ok, I found that funny, don’t judge).

Deacon meet Mooneyes (and with that name the story started to slide sideways for me). Deacon gets over the appearance of a fairy pretty calmly and after figuring out that a wounded fae in a downpour is not likely to make it, takes Moon home to heal. Attraction and lust ensues, albeit on a tiny scale.

Soon the author is throwing in more plot elements, one right after the other. Seems neither Moon’s or Deacon’s families want gay sons and are going out of their way to ignore their sexual choices in pursuit of their own plans. Plus there is several more fae complications to plow through. Ditto on Deacon’s side. I just wished that the author would have concentrated on the quixotical and funny romance at hand. But no, that’s not to be.

Ankh pretty much ignores the fairy world building with a few exceptions and that lack is felt throughout the story. Deacon’s background is better fleshed out but the side bits about his job and boss just add to the confusion. And a strange bit about a man who offers Moon his assistance.

Still where this story goes right is the interaction and feelings that spring up between Deacon and Mooneyes. That was sweet, and believable, even given the circumstances and the separation subplot that felt like a reasonable event given what happens beforehand.

Splat held out so much promise for something completely different yet it ended up as one more sweet,outside of the title and cover, love story. If that is what you are in the mood for and love fae/human romances, Splat might just be your thing to read. I will comfort myself in knowing I have one of the most memorable titles and covers to add to the Most Humerous of 2015.

Cover art by Paul Richmond. Pretty funny, I hope that was the intent. I did keep hearing “oh, no, Mr. Bill…”

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon Splat! Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 127 pages
Published February 11th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press, LLC
ISBN139781632164841
edition languageEnglish

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Sale Links: Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon |The Pinch of the Game Buy It Here

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Surrounded by Crimson (Sumeria’s Sons #4) by Lexi Ander Release Date: July 1, 2015

Goodreads Link Publisher: Less Than Three Press Cover Artist: Londen Burden

Sales Link: Less Than Three Press | Amazon

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SoulShares Series in the order they were written and should be read (add them to your Goodread list):

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Bits of Magic by Angela Benedetti Release Date: May 6, 2015

Excerpt:

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Surrounded by Crimson (Sumeria’s Sons #4) by Lexi Ander
Release Date: July 1, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Cover Artist: Londen Burden

Bits of Magic by Angela Benedetti
Release Date: May 6, 2015