Tag: tentacles

Review: It’s a Tenta-ful Life : A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Amanda Muewissen

Rating: 4🌈

My holiday reading has slowed somewhat but I’m still enjoying the Tentacle holiday series novels from last year.

Amanda Muewissen’s stories have always been so interesting to read. It’s the author’s approach to various popular themes , a Christmas story that carries a strong fondness for a darker fictional component rather than the sleigh bells and holly one normally is used to. In this case, it’s a bloody body found in the snow by a bartender on Christmas Eve. The second one he’s found on this date.

But the person isn’t dead, just wounded. And maybe not even a person. But an Eldritch Horror in mourning. But Brady, a bartender on his way home, knows the person he found and calls Goldy, needs his help. Together they start a relationship that’s oddly sweet, honest, and otherworldly.

It’s elements like these that take It’s a Tenta-ful Life : A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Amanda Muewissen and elevate it into something darkly special, a Christmas tale about love, no matter what form or circumstances it may take .

It also has murder, loss, a creature from a void that pines for a different kind of love and life, and an ending that comes about far too quickly.

There were some aspects of the story that weren’t as well developed as they deserved, given how interesting the characters and backgrounds provided.

But as written, there’s still so many sweet, otherworldly moments and, yes, tentacles, that Muewissen delivers a story to satisfy those wanting Christmas cheer with a touch of horror.

This is a definite recommend!

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

✓ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

✓ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison

Buy Link

It’s a Tenta-ful Life: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb

If angels get wings, what do monsters get?

Brody Hawkins was living the good life. Unattached, young, attractive, with a great job at the Shangri-La La Land gay bar and bringing men and women back to his bed most nights without ever being tied down.

Until the night he stumbles upon an injured man in the snow.

Wary of the circumstances that might have left someone for dead so near to Christmas, instead of taking the man to a hospital, Brody brings him home. He dubs the man Goldie, having no other name offered to him when Goldie wakes, but his golden hair and eyes are like tinsel on a tree.

Goldie couldn’t have anything to do with the murders or missing person from a few blocks down. He couldn’t. He’s too sweet and soft-spoken and even a little sad. He’s no monster.

But he also might not be human.

It’s a Tenta-ful Life is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find a lifelong bachelor who never planned to fall in love, an eldritch horror in disguise who longs for love, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers, dark and deadly secrets, tentacles with hidden talents, and more in this slightly darker take on a holiday MM romance. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: Amanda Meuwissen Books (December 22, 2023)

• Publication date: December 22, 2023

• Print length: 122 pages

Review: Twelve Days of Squidmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by K.L. Hiers

Rating: 4🌈

There’s so many great things to like about K.L. Hiers’ Twelve Days of Squidmas, one of the Winter Tentacle Holiday collection. It’s got a truly poignant storyline about loss and the damage that years of family abuse does to a person. It talks about someone who’s watched and been a caregiver for someone dying of cancer. Then the reader is there, as the funeral is over, the grandmother’s death so deeply devastating that her grandson is having trouble moving forward, and his family is descending like vultures.

Bright and happy a start this is not.

But Hiers brings into this realistically portrayed scenario of a grief stricken young man alone with his loss and house, a new wild card that upsets everything Jack Marsh thought he knew about his grandmother. Jack summons Xorvash, an interdimensional tentacle creature who was his grandmother’s best friend.

Hiers has such fun and does a fantastic job capturing both the essence and power of the demon Xorvash, especially his impact on “Cuddles “. While there’s an amazing effervescent energy and joy that comes from this character and his scenes, Hiers still manages to bring in the smallest detail of Jack’s painful background and the emotional damage he’s suffered in ways that are fleeting but powerful. Then it’s onto a scene that’s familiarly funny and satisfying for the season.

I enjoyed the many side characters and storylines, especially the next door neighbors. I wish that aspect could have been more developed as a few details were left unexplored.

Same went for the ending. It wasn’t exactly satisfying. Jack and Horvash go to all that trouble to boot the family out of the house and then what? They leave and what happens to the house? That was an important narrative loose end that was left flapping around. And it should have been a simple one to explain or tie up.

Things like this make me wonder why, when the rest of the piece is so well written and emotionally balanced.

I’m recommending Twelve Days of Squidmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by K.L. Hiers because even with these quibbles it’s a pleasure to read.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

✓ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers ❤️

✓ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison

Buy Link:

Twelve Days of Squidmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

Jack Marsh has twelve days to pull off the perfect Christmas.

Even though his beloved grandmother has just passed, his rotten family is expecting him to host in her place. He already hated this time of year, and now he has to decorate, bake cookies, wrap presents, and create a delicious holiday feast.

Enter Xorvash, an interdimensional tentacle creature from another plane of existence. Thanks to a minor kitchen mishap, Xorvash comes crashing into Jack’s life and promises to do the impossible. Jack suspects Xorvash’s interest in him goes far beyond merely wanting to help him deck the halls, and he’s having trouble resisting Xorvash’s unique charms. With some luck and a sprinkle of holiday magic, Jack might get some sweet tentacle romance for Christmas—plus a little miracle or two.

Twelve Days of Squidmas is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find a grumpy human and a sunshine tentacle creature, lots of silly snark, smexy tentacle times, and a magical happily ever after. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: (December 15, 2023)

• Publication date: December 15, 2023

• Print length: 167 pages

Review: A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by J P Sayle

Rating: 3.5🌈

J P Sayle’s A Sucker for Christmas is a fun, sweet addition to the Winter Holiday Tentacle collection.

A best friends to lovers story with an added twist of one of them being an octopus shifter, there’s not a lot a universe building or exploration of the octopus shifter culture here. It’s a soulmate relationship, where the shifter recognizes his mate early on in life, in this case, at the age 4, but again no real background is known other than Fitch’s parents revealing their own human/octopus courtship.

However, even without a shifter framework, this does cutely work on the misunderstandings/doubts that occur between two established best friends who are afraid to take the next step into a romance.

There’s the sister Mandy to assist with this, and the madcap events that follow.

There are many questions about the relationship, the culture, that never really get answered. But the characters are adorable and the Australian location perfect for the romance.

Christmas down under style with octopus tentacles . Very cute.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

An annual Christmas vacation to Australia gives two long-term friends more than they bargained for—love. But one of them has a secret that could suck in more ways than one.

Fitch found his soulmate, Shaun, when they were both four years old, but they were separated by two things, a couple of oceans and their age. Not to mention the secret Fitch has been keeping. The fact you can turn into an octopus at will isn’t the kind of thing to be sprung on anyone, especially a soul mate.

Every winter, Shaun heads down under to spend Christmas with his family. For the last twenty years, he’s spent his favorite holiday surfing and lazing around on golden beaches with his best friend, Fitch. Shaun wants more than friendship, however, but has no clue how to get the man of his dreams to see him as more than a friend. Enter Mandy, Shaun’s sister, and Christmas is all set to become an adventure with hilarious consequences.

Fitch and Shaun are about to find out how to deal with the discovery that true love comes with suckers.

A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find steam worthy of an Olympian swimmer and laugh out loud moments that will make your ribs ache. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: (December 4, 2023)

• Publication date: December 4, 2023

• Print length: 222 pages

An Alisa Review: Hybrid Incubator by Meraki P. Dark

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

The conspiracy theorists of the world might have gotten something right. Maybe not the details, but they got something right. Secret experiments exist!

The details they didn’t get right were probably down to not having the imagination for what an ass can be used for.

A Ph.D. in one hand and a dream in the other, Alex strikes out multiple times getting the job of his dreams. One job interview left him feeling so down that he needed a stiff drink. Depressed, slightly drunk, yet still obsessive enough to believe in a brighter future, Alex makes the mistake of trusting the wrong person.

Enslaved, marked as a lab rat, and stuffed into a windowless room to await testing to be conducted on him. That’s the future for Alex. Until one of his captures overhears half a conversation. Maybe his ass isn’t the only useful thing on Alex. And maybe even the worst roads ventured can lead to fulfilling a dream.

THIS BOOK CONTAINS: non-con, dub-con, fisting, tentacles, sex between animal Hybrids and humans, master/slave, voyeurism, power struggle, sensory deprivation, abduction, exhibitionism, slavery, psychological mindfucks, dystopia settings, mpreg in the form of eggs going…places, gestation, and a surprise ending with a HEA feel to it.

This was quite an interesting story.  Alex basically set himself up for something to happen to him but ends up finding happiness and love in the end too.

There were parts that were hot and some that bugged me to, but I expected that to an extent.  When Alex is with Cooper and even those showing kindness I absolutely loved those scenes but when it came to the punishing scene that Alex went through it made me sick to my stomach and no matter what they was flat out violent rape.

I liked how Alex was able to accept his fate but also grabbed on with both hands to help save the world too.  How the scientists were going about everything wasn’t quite right but I like that it seems Alex will be the big change for that, even if we don’t get to see the details.

I don’t usually bring this up, but considering I was provided a “final proof” it’s going to be out there to everyone, this book needed an editing overhaul.  There were quite a few incorrect work choices (i.e. tracks instead of tracts, they aren’t even the same thing) and at times the language or phrases the characters used just didn’t sit right with how they were portrayed.

I love the cover art and think it is perfect for this story.

Sales Links: Smashwords

Book Details:

ebook, 258 pages

Published: May 24, 2019 by Taboo BooxXx

ISBN-13: 9788797090442

Edition Language: English

A Stella Review: Love Beneath the Lake by L Summers

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Evan Massie has always been drawn to the water. So when he discovers his ex-boyfriend’s cheating and manipulations, the first safe place that comes to mind is his family’s old cabin on the lake. It’s remote, completely off the grid, and offers Evan the one thing he needs most: solitude.

Except Evan may not be as alone as he thinks. There is something living in the lake, an ancient, mythical being that is connected to Evan in ways he never thought possible. The discovery might be just what Evan needs to help mend his broken heart—and to reignite the passion that he thought had been extinguished.

Tags: M/M, erotic romance, tentacles, human/mythical creature. Please be aware that this novella contains scenes from a past relationship featuring emotional abuse and manipulation.

I know I’m not in the majority but I love tentacles, just the idea of being able to be touched everywhere all at once, YES!  Evan is trying to find his bearings after finding out that his ex had been cheating and using him for years.  Mer has lived his life taking care of his lake, at times he has seen others but never felt a connection to someone until Evan stepped into his water.

The author’s writing was easy to read and allowed me to see the story from Evan’s point of view.  Evan really has to learn to stand up for himself and find happiness that isn’t connected to another person.  Mer gives him the courage to not give in to his ex but to hopefully be his own person.  I liked seeing these two interact thought I never fully got how Evan’s dreams were actually connected or if they were actual dreams.  There is also a point when Mer says that something isn’t good for Evan yet but no explanation of when it would be.  Mer had an innocence to him that only a creature that hasn’t interacted with humans could have.  In the end Evan sees a way for them to be together and for him to have his life in the city too, I just hope that he would continue to stand up for his feelings and not back down.

The cover art by L Summers is great and works perfectly for this story.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 121 pages

Published: October 15 2018

Edition Language: English