Release Blitz – Blaine D. Arden – Full Circle (Forester Triad Act #3) & A Triad In Three Acts (The Complete Edition)

Release Blitz – Blaine D. Arden – Full Circle (Forester Triad Act #3) & A Triad In Three Acts (The Complete Edition)

 
Author: Blaine D. Arden
 
Release: August 15 2016
The Forester (Act #1) Amazon US Amazon UK KOBO ARe
 
Lost And Found (Act #2) Amazon US Amazon UK KOBO ARe
 
Full Circle (Act #3) Amazon US Amazon UK KOBO ARe
 
A Triad In Three Acts (Complete Trilogy) Amazon US Amazon UK KOBO ARe
Blurb
 
Full Circle (Act #3)
 
‘I have great responsibilities, but my path ahead is as foggy and blurred as the path behind me.’
With forester Taruif freed, Kelnaht has claimed him openly at Solstice before tribe and Maíterra as his partner, but with their third, Ianys, bound by an old promise, their triad is still incomplete. Sneaking around puts the most strain on Ianys. He and Kelnaht must keep their relationship a secret or he will lose his daughter, AtËn.
When several children fall ill with more than a summer bug, truth seeker Kelnaht is assigned once more to investigate. What he finds is deadly and threatens the life of every underage child in the tribe, including AtËn. Then a wounded traveller is found in the forest, left to die after a vicious attack.
With Taruif and his apprentice on the hunt for a cure, Kelnaht focusses on the attacks, but the clues are few and more children are infected. Nothing seems to connect until both the traveller and AtËn dream of the same grey-haired elf. Driven by fear for his daughter, Ianys pulls away from his lovers. Kelnaht can only pray Maíterra will guide him to a solution that brings them all together and keeps AtËn safe from harm.
 
A Triad In Three Acts (The Complete Trilogy)
 
“Your Path is muddy, Kelnaht, but don’t think avoiding the puddles will make it easier to travel.”
Kelnaht, a cloud elf, is a truth seeker caught between love and faith, when a murder reveals an illicit affair between two tree elves he desires more than he can admit. Kelnaht’s former lover Ianys once betrayed him, and the shunned forester Taruif is not allowed to talk to anyone but the guide, their spiritual pathfinder.
The guide mentioned puddles, but I envisioned lakes, deep treacherous lakes, and I was drowning.
Then a stripling goes missing from the tribe, and heavy rainfall hides all traces of his whereabouts. With days creeping by without a lead, it’s hard to keep the tribe’s spirits up, more so when Kelnaht’s own future depends on the elders. Taruif has been shunned for almost twenty turns, but now that a possible forester’s apprentice is coming of age, the elders consider reducing his sentence. Taruif could be set free.
ìI have great responsibilities, but my path ahead is as foggy and blurred as the path behind me.î
Later, when several children fall ill with more than a summer bug, truth seeker Kelnaht is assigned to investigate. What he finds is deadly and threatens the life of every underage child in the tribe, including Ianys’ daughter AtËn. Then a wounded traveller is found in the forest, left to die after a vicious attack.
“There is always a way.”
Kelnaht, Taruif, and Ianys are meant to be together, but old promises and the decree of the elders prevent them from claiming each other openly at Solstice. Kelnaht can investigate murder and foul play, but he canít see how he can keep both his lovers without breaking the rules. But if he believes in the guide’s words and trusts his faith in Maíterra, they will find a way to clear the fog and puddles from their paths.
 
Author Bio
Blaine D. Arden is a purple-haired, forty-something author of queer romance mixed with fantasy, mystery, and magic who sings her way through life in platform boots.
Born and raised in Zutphen, the Netherlands, Blaine spent many hours of her sheltered youth reading, day dreaming, making up stories and acting them out with her Barbies. After seeing the film ‘An Early Frost’ as a teen in the mid-eighties, an idealistic Blaine wanted to do away with the negativity surrounding homosexuality and strove to show the world how beautiful love between men could be. Our difference is our strength, is Blaine’s motto, and her stories are often set in worlds where gender fluidity and sexual diversity are accepted as is.
When not writing or reading, Blaine has singing lessons and hopes to be in a band someday. Supporting Blaine in pursuing her dreams and all matters regarding household, sons, and cairn terrier, is her long-suffering husband for over twenty years.

Blaine is an EPIC Award winning author and has been published by Storm Moon Press, Less Than Three Press, and Wilde City Press. Her scifi romance ‘Aliens, Smith and Jones’ received an Honourable Mention in the Best Gay Sci-Fi/Fantasy category of the Rainbow Awards 2012.

 

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Expanded Hearts (Heartland #2) by Logan Meredith

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Expanded HeartsPsychologist Victor Mascari and his partner, spa-owner Derek Jameson, have been together eight years, but their relationship is still evolving. Derek distrusts monogamy because of his parents’ messy divorce, but as marriage equality advances, Victor’s doubts about their open relationship are growing. He doesn’t necessarily want a legal union, but he’s increasingly concerned about how others view them.

When Victor comes home to find Derek with another new conquest, he’s annoyed… at first. As he gets to know Antonio, Victor discovers the young man is intelligent, self-assured, and charming. This time, it’s Victor who is intrigued by someone else and Derek who thinks Victor’s interest is crossing the lines they’ve agreed on. If Victor wants to keep Derek, he’ll have to let Antonio go.

But Antonio is in real trouble and has nowhere to turn. Victor and Derek take him in, and it soon becomes clear how well he fits into their lives and how strong the bonds between all of them are growing. A committed relationship between three men—all very different in age and background—is enough of a challenge, and then the horrifying secrets of Antonio’s abusive past emerge.

I honestly did not expect to enjoy this story as much as I did. Open relationship? Ménage? The blurb intrigued me, however, and I’m so happy I took the plunge. What the blurb doesn’t tell us is that Antonio leaves shortly after he and Victor get to meet and talk for a while, and part of Victor’s intrigue with Antonio is his feeling that Antonio was hiding too many personal details, over and above the fact that he ate breakfast as if he was starving, and his clothes were worn beyond what’s considered fashionable. When he happens to meet him once again, he arranges to treat the young man to lunch.

When Victor’s partner, Derek, a gorgeous, tall, muscular black man finds out, he blows his top. He feels as if Victor went behind his back and arranged a date. And that’s totally unlike Victor, the forty-something, slender, self-effacing psychologist. There are so many starts and stops and complications between Victor and Derek about Antonio that even his name begins to drive a wedge between them—all this without Victor ever even taking Antonio to bed. And Antonio has disappeared anyway, so why the continued strife, Victor wonders. But all of that drama added to the three-dimensional character-building the author put together so that we become as entangled in this story as the characters are.

As it turns out, there’s so much more to Antonio than either man knew, and his background turns out to be positively heartbreaking. He’s also linked to one of Victor’s patients, and his hoped-for relationship with Antonio, whether real or platonic, will definitely cause Victor trouble with his professional ethics.

Once they have found Antonio, reconciled their differences about him, and brought him under their wing, rather than finding peace, the intrigue surrounding Antonio follows him, and not just from outside sources—Derek’s mother comes into play at this point in the story when she happens to drop by and “catch” Victor with Antonio. Unfortunately, she not only never accepted Derek as gay, she never supported his eight-year relationship with Victor—primarily because Victor was both older and white. Her character is very reminiscent of a Bible-thumping wicked witch, and she positively reels when she finds out from Derek just why the “boy” was brought into their home. Her prejudices know no bounds, and she’s possibly one of the best/worst examples of a nasty mother I’ve read.

In the early stages of the story, I found myself aggravated as I read—first by Derek and then by Victor. I wanted them to find some common sense and just get going, but around the 40% mark, I realized I was so caught up in the story and the drama surrounding Anthony that I couldn’t put the book down, and I stayed up late one night just to get to the conclusion. It was very, very good, and I recommend it to all my fellow MM romance lovers.

The drawn cover by Paul Richmond isn’t very appealing, mostly due to the colors used, but it does closely represent the three characters who ultimately form a strong ménage relationship in this story.

Sales Links

        

Book Details:

ebook, 224 pages
Expected publication: August 12th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634775376 (ISBN13: 9781634775373)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesHeartland #2

The River Wolf Pack is Back with Third Mate by Rebecca James (Excerpt and Giveaway)

Third Mate Banner

Title: Third Mate

Author: Rebecca James

Series Title and Number: River Wolf Pack Series, 3

Publisher: JMS_Books

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: July 16th

Heat Level: 5

Pairing: Male/Male and Male/Male/Male

Length: 176 pages

Genre/Tags: poly, contemporary, paranormal (wolf-shifters), M/M and M/M/M romance, paranormal romance

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Synopsis

After the birth of River and Josiah’s twin girls, pack tensions increase. The presence of rogue wolves, females, and humans have many pack members uncomfortable. In exchange for Leo’s help, Stone offers Leo the position of second alpha should Stone succeed in usurping River. Leo’s conflicted between his desire to rise in the pack, his dislike for Stone, and his increasing feelings for both Sam and Foster. Sam and Foster are best friends, but as a coyote shifter, Foster yearns for his true mate and doesn’t believe he will find him if he stays with the werewolves. Jax knows he must make a difficult decision before he’s turned out of the compound. When David finds out Brooks is considering mating Stone, he determines to stop it. The Angel Hills pack offer a deal in exchange for omegas for their pack.

Excerpt

Stone’s sharp, deep voice cut into Leo’s thoughts, and he turned his attention to the front where the contentious alpha had already begun arguing his points.

“…no place for females. Do they even have any werewolf in them?”

“Of course they do; they’re mine. They are developing as quickly as any werewolf child.” River said more calmly than Leo would have under the scrutiny of so many condemning eyes.

“But have they shifted?” someone asked.

“Not yet. You know as well as I do that they could be a year old before they shift.”

If they shift,” Stone muttered. “And most do by seven months.”

“If they don’t shift,” someone else said, “they aren’t werewolves. They’ll have to leave.”

“They don’t belong here.” Stone stood, feet apart and hands on hips. Justin, Stone’s pregnant omega, cowered in submission at the sound of Stone’s displeased voice. His three beta mates sat with eyes downcast, although Leo saw Canaan glance up more than once. There was something shrewd and calculating about Canaan, and although Leo felt sorry for him after his son was killed, it didn’t make it any easier to like him.

“As my children, they certainly do belong here, as yours do, and the progeny of everyone else present,” River said, tone brooking no argument.

Stone made a frustrated sound and looked around, eyes landing on Griffin, an alpha of Stone’s age.

Griffin stood. “Your own father drove your mate’s father from the pack for having relations with a human female.”

“My father did not drive him out. Derrick was punished—told he couldn’t leave the compound. But he ran away.”

“This is true,” Old Ben called out.

“The fact remains that Thorn did not approve of the boy’s actions,” Griffin argued. “He didn’t invite Derrick to bring his female lover into the pack because females don’t belong with werewolves.”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at,” River said with a sigh. “I am not attempting to bring a female among us. My daughters were born to me, and are therefore a part of this pack.”

Before Griffin could speak again, Stone interrupted. “Which wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t mated with the half-human, which you did without consulting the pack.”

“Josiah is a werewolf,” River said. “And I do not need to consult my pack before mating.”

Half-werewolf,” Stone corrected. “Unlike someone who willingly takes the bite and transforms, your mate will always be part human. Which is why he spawned twin abominations—”

In two steps, River crossed the room and had Stone’s neck between his hands, thumbs cutting off the alpha’s air flow. Leo glanced at the humans. Several flinched, and others looked horrified.

“Don’t you ever,” River breathed heavily into Stone’s purpling face, “ever speak of my mate or children in that manner again. Am I clear?”

Stone’s eyes bulged and his mouth gaped as he tried to dislodge River’s grip. Leo stood, along with the other alphas in the room. As pack alpha, River had the right to kill Stone for such an insult, and Leo found himself almost hoping River would. He got the feeling Stone’s mates felt similarly.

Purchase

JMS Books | ARe | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Bookstrand | Kobo | iTunes

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Meet the Author

logoRebecca James has written all her life, mostly to entertain herself and friends. An English major, she currently writes as a second job but would love to do it full-time. Her first book came out in October of 2015. Since then, she’s written both contemporary and paranormal and hopes to put out a sci-fi book soon.

She’s fortunate to have a husband who supports her in her writing career, three wonderful children, and a rat-terrier.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

 

Tour Schedule

7/16 Alpha Book Club

7/16 Molly Lolly

7/17 Bayou Book Junkie

7/18 MM Good Book Reviews

7/18 Purple Rose Teahouse

7/19 Inked Rainbow Reads

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7/20 The Novel Approach

7/21 Prism Book Alliance

7/22 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

7/23 3 Chicks After Dark

Giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: FIVE winners will be selected to win an eBook copy of their choice of any book in the River Wolf Pack series and ONE lucky person will win all three!

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Boston Bauble Party by Susan Laine

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Boston Bauble PartyLooking for a sweet romance with a little BDSM kink thrown in? Add in menage and DP and this one might be just the ticket.

As the blurb states, Liam is inadequate below the belt, but what it doesn’t say is that it’s his balls that are small. The rest of him is a bit above average. But, his physical imperfection keeps him from getting involved with Doms or other sexual partners because he’s embarrassed. When he tells his roommate, Troy, that he’s going to have plastic surgery to enlarge them, Troy becomes determined to stop his foolishness and drags Liam along to a bauble party.

There they meet up with Burton, a wealthy Dom who Troy has previously met. Troy believes Burton and Liam will be a good match because the scar that keeps Burton from being able to open his mouth all the way prevents him from being able to enjoy sucking another man’s balls—until he meets Liam, and they all realize Troy was right.

The party, held in an exclusive club in a mansion, is all about pairing up in twosomes, threesomes, and more, and when the guys get to their room, Liam finds out just how happy Burton is with his little balls. And that’s before they all discover that they each mesh, including Liam and Troy. Apparently each of these best friends have been suffering from unrequited love.

The book is pretty much sex from beginning to end with a host of happy feelings thrown in for good measure. It certainly is not the best story I’ve ever read, and there’s quite a few times when I had to suspend disbelief, but I found it entertaining and sweet and just what I needed to take me away from some serious thinking for the day.

The very attractive, attention-getting cover by Harris Channing features three hot guys in various states of dress and undress—just right for this story.

Sales Links:  Siren Publishing|

Book Details:

ebook, 106 pages
Published June 28th 2016 by Siren Publishing
ISBN13 9781682953679
Edition Language English

In the Spotlight: Independence Daze by A.J. Llewellyn & D.J. Manly (excerpt and giveaway)

Independence Daze 1000x400

Title: Independence Daze

Author: A.J. Llewellyn & D.J. Manly

Publisher: Torquere Press

Cover Artist: Les Byerley

Release Date: 6/29/16

Heat Level: 5

Pairing(Male/Male, Ménage): M/M, Menage

Length: 21K

Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Menage

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Synopsis

Paul and Hamish are at it and at each other, again in the third installment of A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly’s best-selling BDSM Voyages series.

Paul and Hamish may be married but that doesn’t mean their sex life has to be a snore fest. These guys always give each other exactly what they need when they can find time in their busy lives. In between feeding Hamish’s ravenous, pregnant sister, and negotiating relationships with deadbeat, rock star fathers, the lovers are always looking for ways to spice things up.

This time, overworked Paul is in for it when Hamish decides to take him on a special retreat that involves a yurt, a Peruvian shaman, and some noxious liquid that wipes out all limits to the imagination. Independence Day never saw anything like this coming!

Excerpt

I walked out of the plant at two in the morning. It was at this point that I permitted myself to feel it. I was dead tired and it was chilly. I regretted not bringing a jacket but then I hadn’t expected it to take so damn long, or for the night to turn cold. I had to keep reminding myself that for a coastal state, California was desert. Outside, I put up the top of the convertible and texted the office with a reminder to bill the plant and also make a report in the morning.

When I pulled up into our driveway, I turned off the engine and closed my eyes. I almost fell asleep there. I think I would have if not for who I knew was waiting for me inside. Although, I was pretty sure Hamish had conked out at this hour. With all the energy I had left, I walked up to the door and put the key in the lock. Thankfully, Hamish had left the alarm off.

I walked inside, locked the door and set the alarm. As I climbed the stairs I noticed a light on in the master bedroom. Hamish sometimes fell asleep reading so I tried to be quiet anyway as I crept in. I paused, my brow wrinkling as I heard a low buzzing sound coming from the bed. My eyes widened when I saw Hamish lying flat on his back with his slave collar on. He’d attached the collar’s chain to the bed post. Two other chains with nipple clamps lay on his chest. I guess he expected me to do the honors by installing those.

I smiled as I came around to the bottom of the bed. Both his legs were raised and spread wide in the air, resting on leather stirrups we’d attached overhead. A rather large vibrating butt plug protruded from his ass, and his cock was strapped nicely with a studded leather cuff.

“Your hands are free,” I said, my cock stiffening as I slowly ran my gaze over him.

He smiled. “I can fight if you try anything I don’t like.”

Hamish used to be a boxer. No one messed with him unless he wanted it. Right now, he wanted it…badly. “So you’ve been busy.”

“You told me to stay awake, remember?”

“All this for me,” I said, straddling his waist and grabbing both wrists. He was breathing hard as he looked up at me. I wasn’t so tired anymore. I reached over to get the padded cuffs we had tucked behind the bed. I brought up one and attached his wrist. Hamish made quite a show of struggling.

I attached the other cuff and leaned back. “My, my, all mine to play with.”

“I’ll scream,” he threatened with that gleam in his eyes. “A stranger coming into my house to have his way with me. If I make a lot of noise,” Hamish explained, “the police will come.”

“Not if they can’t hear you, they won’t,” I whispered.

Purchase

Torquere Press

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Meet the Author

A.J. Llewellyn

A.J. Llewellyn’s obsession with myth, magic, love, and romance might have led to serious stalking charges had it not been for the ability to write. Thanks to the existence of some very patient publishers, A.J.’s days are spent writing, reading and dreaming up new worlds. A.J. has definitely stopped Google-searching former boyfriends and given up all ambition to taste test every cupcake in the universe to produce over 200 published gay erotic romance novels.

A.J. wants you to read them all. A.J. can be found lurking on Facebook and Twitter—part-time class clown being another occupation. When not writing or reading, A.J.’s other passions include juggling, kite-boarding, and spending a fortune buying upgrade apps for Pearl’s Peril and Farm Heroes Saga.

D.J. Manly

I write not only for my own pleasure, but for the pleasure of my readers. I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t written and told stories. When I’m not writing, I’m dreaming about writing. Eroticism between consenting adults, in all its many forms is the icing on the cake of life but one does not live by sex alone. The story of how two people find love in spite of the odds is what really turns me on.

Social Media Links:

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/A.J.-Llewellyn/e/B002DBJBC2

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/aj.llewellyn

http://www.facebook.com/dante.manly

Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/ajllewellyn

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/ajllewellyn

http://www.twitter.com/djnovels

Website:

http://www.ajllewellyn.com

http://www.djmanlyfiction.com

Giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: One winner will be selected to win an eBook copy of Independence Daze.

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A Free Dreamer Review: The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

The Starving Years right coverImagine a world without hunger. In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world’s cupboards, pantries and larders.

Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He’s a food scientist—according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he’s been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his exorbitantly priced migraine medication.

In a job fair gone bad, Nelson hooks up with copywriter Javier and his computer-geek pal Tim, who whisks them away from the worst of the fiasco in his repurposed moving truck. At least, Nelson thinks those two are acquainted, but they’re acting so evasive about it, he’s not sure how they know each other, exactly.

Javier is impervious to Nelson’s flirting, and Tim’s name could appear in the dictionary under the entry for “awkward.” And with a riot raging through Manhattan and yet another headache coming on, it doesn’t seem like Nelson will get an answer anytime soon. One thing’s for sure, the tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife…even one of those dull plastic dealies that come in the package with Mannariffic EZ-Mealz.

When reading the blurb for this book, I’d hoped for a well-developed dystopian story that happens to have gay MCs. Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite live up to my hopes.

The thing that bothered me the most was the severe lack of world building. There’s manna, some sort of artificial food thing. Almost everybody eats that stuff instead of real food. We never do find out why this became so popular, nor do we find out what it’s made of or how it is produced. That’s a real shame, because the concept was certainly very interesting.

Another thing was the whole thing about a man “putting his mark” on a (pregnant) woman. It seems to be a big deal and very important and yet we never learn the how and the why. Apparently not having a father for your child is a huge thing in this society, but the author failed to explain why.

Overall, the story could have used a bit more depth. All three MCs were thinking with their dicks a little too much for my taste. And the love was a bit too insta for me. But at least the sex was hot.

All three MCs had an interesting past. They could have used a bit more depth too, though.

The plot was engaging and a nice change from your run of the mill m/m romance plot. There actually was a real plot here. Some revelations were a bit foreseeable but overall I definitely wasn’t bored.

All in all, “The Starving Years” had a little too much romance for me and too little actual depth and world building. The plot and the MCs were interesting though, and I felt well entertained.

If you’re looking for M/M romance with a bit of a dystopian feel to it, you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did, since I’d hoped for a solid dystopia with a bit of romance.

Cover: The cover by Jordan Castillo Price shows a man with duct tape over his mouth. Judging by the cover alone, I’d almost expect a BDSM story. I don’t think I would have checked this out, if I hadn’t seen an edition with a different cover first.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book details:

ebook, 286 pages
Published March 5th 2012 by JCP Books LLC (first published March 3rd 2012)
ISBN139781935540434
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttp://jordancastilloprice.com/starvingyears/index.html settingNew York (United States)

A Lila Review: Werewolves of Chernobyl by K.A. Merikan and L.A. Witt

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Werewolves of ChernobylQuinn is a travel blogger in search of the next great story. He specializes in finding the big shot and news no other blogger would post. During his trip to Chernobyl, he enters the exclusion zone he had been ordered to stay away by the armed tour guides. As he explores, he found one of the animals he had been warned about, but he realizes there’s more behind his findings.

Dima is the werewolf Quinn meets. During their brief encounter, Dima gets mesmerized by Quinn and wants to make him his. Unfortunately, they don’t have an effective way to communicate even when Dima understands Quinn. After the guides come to Quinn’s rescue, Dima runs home to find his best friend, Nazar.

Nazar has been Dima’s protector since they were pups. He would do anything to make him happy, including rescuing Dima’s new craving. Nazar and Dima have a deep connection that gets tested by Quinn’s arrival and pack dynamics. It would be up to the three of them to find their place in each other’s life.

Werewolves of Chernobyl isn’t your typical werewolves’ story, nor, the story I expected. There’s no fated mate, fairytale-like forests, or ruling alpha male claiming the main character. Instead, we get a human MC, a werewolf soldier, and the lowest werewolf in the hierarchy. And all these made for a refreshing take on a well-known troupe.

It’s amazing to see how three authors can work in one single story without making it obvious. The pacing, flow, and characterizations were executed flawlessly. Each main character has a solid backstory, and their personalities are unique. Together, they balanced their relationship and their future.

The story incorporates historical events to a paranormal world without resting importance to them. The authors were versed on the facts surrounding the Chernobyl disaster and the previous and current state of the surrounding areas and countries. It’s easy to see the story from the characters perspective and to understand the settings.

Even when the story was well-crafted, smexy, and interesting enough to keep reading, it lacks complexity. Everything that happens to the characters is simply a background. It doesn’t interfere directly with their daily events or the final outcome. More than a story about the possibility of werewolves in Chernobyl, it’s a story about how to adjust to the ins and outs of a polyamorous relationship.

It’s not about romance or a thriller. Overall, this story is about three “men” figuring out a long term relationship.

The cover by Natasha Snow portraits Quinn in the dark woods of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. But doesn’t provide any more details.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Published: May 5, 2016, by Wing & Fang Press
ASIN: B01EZAWJ6S
Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: Candy Land (Hidden Gem #3) by Lissa Kasey

Rating: 5 stars out of 5       ★★★★★

candyland_final02Cameron “Candy” Michelson Jr. doesn’t have time for distractions. He’s too busy restructuring the red-light district into an adult playland for City M and running the Hidden Gem. But when his companion, Avery “Ivy” Laurent, grows closer to Jack, an investigator for the Institute of Scientific Study, Candy can’t hide his jealousy. Nor his own interest in Jack.

Ivy is crazy about Jack, but he’s also in love with Candy. Ideally, Ivy longs for all three of them to be together, but between Jack’s nonexistent libido and Candy’s supercharged needs, Ivy isn’t sure how to make it work.

When Jack gets called in to help the City M police department investigate a series of violently murdered companions, both Candy and Ivy brace for trouble. But nothing prepares them for Candy becoming the prime suspect.

In a future landscape of corrupt government officials, brutal BDSM crimes, and a host of dark creatures, Candy, Ivy, and Jack must work together to find the killer, save themselves—and learn how to trust each other.

The Hidden Gem stories by Lissa Kasey captivated me from the very beginning with her horrifying vision of a world in chemical ruin, its environs toxic and governments reduced down to geographical areas, even cities where populations clustered, clinging to life such as it was.  Throughout the populations were AMs, mutants both forced by experimentation and born into their genetic forms naturally by evolution…but all hidden from the citizens due to fear.

In each story, the title refers to a pleasure place.  The Hidden Gem, is the top “house” in City M, and Misaki “Aki” Itou is its highest paid  and most sought after “companion”. He will find love with detective Shane McNaughton, and their story sets in motion all the action and relationship dynamics to follow.  Its a 5 star magnificent ride and I couldn’t figure out how Kasey would top it. But of course, she did with Cardinal Sins (Hidden Gem, #2). Again its the name of a house of pleasure and gambling that the owner of the Hidden Gem finds, renovates and reopens for an unimaginable reason…its amazing tunnels of fish tanks that thread through its halls.  Here its the enigmatic Paris Hansworth, former “companion” turned senator and all powerful man who ends up finding the love of his life, Rain,  in the most unexpected place.  Each story gives a clue through the beautiful covers of Shobana Appavu. Yes, its in the blurb but its doesn’t prepare you for the power of the finding and the story itself.

Again, each book is building towards something more but I had no idea how strongly the author was preparing us for the final story in the trilogy until I came to Candy Land.  If I could give a book more than 5 stars I certainly would do so here.

Candy Land picks up the story almost immediately from Cardinal Sins and the three characters, one recently introduced and two we’ve come to know and love in all the other stories.  They all seem to be headed for something interesting as far as a matchup together, a triad, if they can communicate and overcome the enormous physical demons they have and plot hurdles ahead of them.  Cameron “Candy” Michelson Jr we met in the first book as the best friend of Aki and as high a paid companion as Aki was.  Now Candy is running Hidden Gem, has matured and is having trouble finding his way in staying Candy and the boss.   Avery “Ivy” Laurent,a psi paid companion at the Hidden Gem, Candy’s love interest is also interested in Frank, a AM who was partnered with Shane back when they were both cops.  Yes, circles upon circles of relationship dynamics and it all works.  Its important because these Venn diagram relationships are needed when the AM murders and explosive government politics start to intrude upon City M and their lives to the point of horrifying consequences to all.

One of the things I most admired about this story was Kasey’s ability to balance the need to bring the characters maturity along together and apart (especially Candy and Frank) while keep the suspense and deep intrigue mounting on the larger plot level.  Candy had to come to understand and accept Frank’s asexuality if their triad was to work, Frank also had to understand Candy’s need for dominance and Ivy’s need for them both.  It was a delicate give and take between all three and it works so beautifully here.  We get their vulnerability, their strengths, their humor and their pain…in short, we get them as whole viable people. I loved them all and together even better.  That’s saying a lot as threesomes usually aren’t my thing.  And this one is outstanding.

Even better?  The plot!   That nail biting, hold on to your seats because you won’t believe what’s coming next plot.  I ended up reading whole pages twice because they were so damn good.  Had the popcorn going, just hunched over the action, the drama, and the sequences that unfolded on the Kindle before me.  It had it all, angst, parts that had me weeping in anger, sadness and then unbelievable joy.  Yep, this book is over the moon.

When I got to  the end, I was so thrilled, I was stunned with joy.  It was everything I had wanted for each and every character.  How many times do you say that in a story?  Or a trilogy?  That you were completely satisfied with how everything worked out?  Now would I be happy if Lissa Kasey goes back and give Ono his own HEA?  You bet.  I think he deserves it after all this.  And then there’s that little matter of the boat people.  But the main characters?  Happy, happy, happy.

So do I recommend this book?  Silly question.  Of course I do.  All of them to be precise.  And Lissa Kasey too.  I will be picking them all back up and reading them in a row now that I have the trilogy complete to see what I may have missed.  Do yourself a favor, grab them all up, do it too.  Make yourself some popcorn while you’re at it.  You will be there for a wonderful fantasy ride!

Cover art by  Shobana Appavu is as outstanding as the book.  Each cover a clue as to the major element inside.

Sales Links:  Amazon |Dreamspinner PressAReBarnes & Noble

Book Details:

ebook, 274 pages
Published April 25th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634771672 (ISBN13: 9781634771672)
Edition LanguageEnglish

Trilogy: Hidden Gem

hiddengem_final03Cardinal Sins covercandyland_final02

 

A Jeri Review: The Taste of Ink by Francis Gideon

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

The Taste of InkTrevor Dunn has never gone to the Calgary Stampede, in spite of living in the city all his life. He would much rather listen to music and draw comics in his basement than hang out with a bunch of cowboys. When his sister drags him to the Stampede’s opening parade anyway, Trevor is drawn to a cowboy sporting a green hat.

Charlie opens Trevor’s mind to the world of country music and country boys. But then an old flame appears in the middle of the festival and Trevor is torn. He adores Charlie, but Mathieu—a punk singer turned acoustic crooner—was Trevor’s first love, and Trevor lost him by being too afraid to chase the dreams they shared.

When the Stampede ends, Charlie will go back to Toronto, Mathieu will go back on tour, and Trevor will go back to his basement. Realizing that’s not what he wants, Trevor enters a mechanical bull-riding contest in hopes of winning the heart of his true love—or maybe both of them. This time, fear won’t stop him from going after what he wants.

When I think of cowboys, I think of the mid-west. Texas, Oklahoma, Montana. Apparently Canada has cowboys too. Who knew?

In this story we meet shy artist Trevor. His sister convinces him to go to the Calgary Stampede with her. A week of cowboys and everything cowboy related. He doesn’t want to go, but then he meets Charlie. A cowboy previously, he loves the Stampede and the men there.

They begin a hot and heavy affair- with the mutual understanding that it would only last as long as the Stampede did. But feelings begin to develop which they were not expecting. Trevor still stings from his last heart break- which he brought on himself and Charlie never saw himself in a relationship at all.

While the relationship developing was cute and the sex was super hot, this book was touted as M/M/M. Yet we don’t meet the third man until nearly the end of the book. And while Trevor and Mathieu have a history, the instant connection between Charlie and Mathieu seemed forced. After one night together all three are ready to pursue a poly relationship.

Trevor came out of his self-imposed shelf, but he came of as very meek, very submissive, being led around by the rich cowboy who bought him things and spoiled him.

A decent story, a new setting, hot sex scenes and some romance. I would have liked it more with either just Trevor and Charlie or with a lot more development of the poly relationship. But it was still an enjoyable read.

Cover art by AngstyG is gorgeous but how much of it speaks to the story?

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published March 11th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634770934
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Sharing the Pond by Alex Whitehall

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Sharing the Pond by Alex WhitehallBrent shows up on Corey and Shane’s doorstep in the dead of winter needing a place to stay—and hopeful his mates will provide it, and not mind he’s a frog shifter.

Being a shifter is nothing new to Corey and Shane, but neither is being mates. They’ve been together since before they first met Brent ten years ago—back when Brent was Brenda. Bringing a third into their relationship is more than a little complicated, but they’re willing to try.

But change is always easier said than done, and Brent wonders if he ever really stood a chance at being happy with the men he has always loved and admired.

So much wrong with this story, its hard to know where to start.  Maybe with the things I did like. The cover was cute.  And Whitehall’s use of a female transitioning to male but in an entirely different biological take was imaginative and full of possibilities.

None of which really worked well here unfortunately.

Reading through to the finish was actually a fight.

I found the characters of Corey, Shane and Brent blurred together, so similar in tone narratively speaking, that after certain plot points were made, they became interchangeable in my mind (especially two of them),   But Whitehall asks  so much from his readers, those already arriving expecting a shifter story true.  But one where a frog comes from wolf shifter parents?   Hmmm, without much back-history or biological groundwork laid-out?  Then he expects us to believe there is a pull of a mate bond between these two men as well when one is already happily mated?  And doesn’t make a case for it in the interactions between them in the scenes that play out.

With all my diminishing interest in the story playing out, I started to notice other things…such as the huge difference in species. Corey and Shane are Northern Leopard frog shifters. Brent is a Common Reed Frog, a west African frog species that have been known to spontaneously change sex from female to male. A plot element that makes sense, but why did Whitehall have the other two be a pond species?If you are going to go to the trouble to  give your shifters specific frog species you ought to make them compatible.  Green frogs and Bull frogs,  Northern Leopard frogs with Pickerel or Wood frogs, and most certainly a Common Reed Frog with fellow tree frogs like even a African foam-nest tree frog or green Congo tree frog?

But a Common Reed Frog and two Northern Leopard frogs.  Now that might present a problem right there.  the Common Reed Frog?  A small tree frog, found in Burundi (I just love saying that name) and other parts of Africa.  The Northern Leopard  frogs? A once common and now rapidly disappearing pond frog of Northern America.  So yeah, that’s not really happening in a splash about in a bathtub.

Why all this preoccupation with the natural history of the frogs?  Because my mind and interest needed something, anything to grasp onto.  The story wasn’t doing it for me, neither were the characters.

Let’s just  say this was one tough read, from shifter history I couldn’t wrap my head around to characters I just couldn’t connect with.  Even the plot was one tough slog, narratively speaking.  And I love shifter stories.

But that cover was really darn cute.

Sale Links:  Less Than Three Press |   Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 154 pages
Published November 16th 2015 by Less Than Three Press
ASINB0184EQ5BG
Edition LanguageEnglish