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 Paul B Review: Amended Soul (Mated Heart and Soul #2) by Kate Steele

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amended SoulJamie Hardin is looking to repair his relationship with his oldest son Rio.   He blames himself partially for the abuse Rio suffered from his step-mother.  So Jamie and his six year old son Jack head to visit Rio and his mate Mick.  Fortunately for Jamie, Rio is eager for a reunion with his family.  In fact Rio is happy that his family is moving into the area to stay.  Jamie just has to get comfortable around a pack of werewolves.  The one that is most worrisome is the sexy brother of his son’s mate.

Jed Matranga is Mick’s younger brother.  He is happy that his brother has found his mate and considers Rio to be a younger brother.  At the family get together held to celebrate Rio reuniting with his father, Jed takes notice of Rio’s father.  He tries as best as he can to turn on the charm to attract the Jamie.  When Jamie states that he needs some work done with his new office, Jed volunteers to do the work himself.  He figures out it is the best way to try to win over this man who is bitter over his ex-wife’s betrayal.

As Jamie settles into his new surroundings and meeting the new neighbors, Jed is busy making changes to Jamie’s optometry office.  The two’s attraction to each other begins to strengthen as they spend more time with each other.  As Jamie knows some about werewolf culture, he begins to question whether or not he is Jed’s mate.  However, Jed has not stated such.  Jed meanwhile does not want to push the issue with Jamie as he has been married twice before.  Would Jamie accept a same sex mating for himself, even if he approves of his son’s mating.  When Jamie returns from a welcoming party that a neighbor holds, Jed smells a female on Jamie and flies off the handle.  Has Jamie already rejected their mating before it has even really started?

I enjoyed this second book in Kate Steele’s Mated Heart and Soul series.  I missed the first book in the series but want to go back and read it.  A reader gets enough of the backstory in the first book to not feel lost in this one. I found the playfulness of Jamie and Jed delightful especially Jed’s generous use of double entendres.  Rio’s reaction to his father’s relationship with Jed is a bit puzzling considering matings are sacrosanct in werewolf culture.  However, this was explained toward the end of the book to my satisfaction.  This series has been added to my list of to be read books.

The cover by Valerie Tibbs is fairly standard for werewolf shifter books.  The top portion shows two shirtless torsos while the bottom half depicts a wolf howling at a full moon.  It is nothing spectacular but does fit the book.

Sales Links:  Loose id | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 176 pages
Published March 15th 2016 by Loose Id
ISBN139781682521069
Edition LanguageEnglish

Series:  Mated Heart and Soul

  • Altered Heart (Mated Heart and Soul #1)
  • Amended Soul (Mated Heart and Soul #2)

The Sexy Sirius Wolves Series is Back in The Dilemma by Victoria Sue (exclusive excerpt and giveaway)

Orion 5

The Dilemma (Sirius’s Wolves #5) by Victoria Sue
Release Date: April 7, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dark Hollows Press
Cover Artist: 3 rusted spoons

Blurb

Marcus has just become the only human ever to be Alpha of a werewolf pack and thwarted the plans of Anubis to destroy the goddess Sirius’ creation – the werewolves.

Now, Anubis has decided to focus his efforts instead on Marcus and his new pack, to try and destroy the pack from within. In order to do this, Anubis seeks the one thing Marcus wants above all else and when he finds it, will use that to get him to walk away from his lovers and the pack.

Unaware of the evil god’s plans, Marcus works together with Kellan and Ricoh, not only trying to help Nate recover from the vicious torture he has undergone at the hands of the terrorist group, The Winter Circle, but to also come to terms with leading a pack of over two thousand wolves.

Marcus soon will be faced with a dilemma, but will he give everything up for his mates and the pack or will the temptation Anubis offers him be too much for one human to refuse? Will Marcus put his wolves before himself or will he be tricked into leaving them behind forever?

 

Pages or Words: 50,000 words
Series should be read in order.
Categories: Fiction, M/M Romance, Ménage/Poly, Wolf Shifters

Exclusive Excerpt

Marcus rubbed his right knee. It had started throbbing an hour ago, and was now hurting like a bitch. He’d been sitting down in one place for too long. He wanted to get back upstairs so Kellan could work his magic on it. He’d caught the concerned glance Ricoh had just thrown at him, and willed himself to stay still.

Blaze was drawing the meeting to a close, and they’d gotten loads of work done. He now had thirty gammas with Jed firmly in charge of them all. Blaze had again indicated that they would assume that financial responsibility also. Marcus bristled a little at that, but until he actually knew if Jefferson had any money, there were more important things to worry about…like what were they going to do with the only prisoner locked up downstairs.

Hunter. Marcus had been expecting the question to come up for the last thirty minutes and had wished Ricoh wasn’t there.

Blaze looked at Ricoh. “Something happened two days ago. I decided not to tell you at the time.”

Marcus’ heart beat hard.

“The gammas caught Hunter trying to kill himself.”

Ricoh paled.

“How is that even possible?” Marcus asked quietly. He tightened his grip on Ricoh’s hand. Werewolves were hard wired to protect themselves by shifting. Even he knew that.

“He partially shifted and used his claws to slit his wrists. He passed out and his body immediately shifted as he lost consciousness.”

Ricoh seemed to shrink a little into himself. Marcus glanced down at Ricoh, and instinctively pulled him close. He wasn’t dumb enough to assume that Ricoh would have recovered from being betrayed by Hunter, or being convinced the wolf was his mate for years.

“How is he doing now?” Marcus asked.

Jed answered shortly. “I’m sorry, but I wish he’d succeeded.” Marcus looked up at the older man. Jed looked furious. “He deceived us all. Just look what he did to Nate.”

“He didn’t actually physically touch Nate,” Conner said.

“But he knew about it,” Jed’s voice rose. “He stood by and allowed it to happen. I trusted that man. We all did. Any of his gammas would have given their lives for him as our Alpha.” Marcus watched in silence as Jed struggled to calm down. The enormity of what had happened was finally sinking in. Hunter hadn’t just hurt Nate and Ricoh, who had both managed in barely a week to plant themselves firmly in Marcus’ heart; he had hurt his wolves, his family. They had trusted their Alpha to look after them, and he had let them down in a spectacularly cruel way.

Marcus turned to Ricoh and looked at the worried blue eyes that were blinking up at him. Marcus turned his seat and took Ricoh’s other hand. “You have choices. You can go and see him. You can see him on your own or any one of us could come with you, including me. I can go and see him for you and find out what he wants, or you can simply tell him to get lost. You never have to think of him again.”

Ricoh swallowed. “Will you come with me?”

“I think we’ll take Jed as well.” Marcus glanced at Jed and the man nodded his head sharply.

“Good then.” Blaze stood up. “Might I suggest you see him in a few hours? I know you’ll need to see how Nate is and bring Kellan up to speed with what’s been decided.”

Marcus shot Blaze a grateful glance. Everyone filed out.

“Marcus?” Blaze hesitated.

Marcus turned to Ricoh. “Do you want to organize some food for us to take upstairs?”

Ricoh squeezed Marcus’ hand then headed towards Lilly.

“I just wanted to say I’m very grateful,” Blaze said slowly.

Marcus looked in astonishment at the big guy. “I think running my mouth off might have just cost you a lot of money.”

Blaze waved an impatient hand. “I don’t mean the school, or the housing, both of which are long overdue. I mean the way you spoke to May.”

Marcus screwed his eyes up in confusion.

“I have never said thank you,” Blaze added.

“For what I said to May?”

Blaze chuckled. “I know it’s been nearly a week, but because of Nate we have never had a chance to talk about what happened.” Blaze paused.

“You were willing to die for our wolves.”

Marcus turned at the other voice. He hadn’t realized Darric was still in the room. All his focus had been on Blaze.

“You’re human,” Darric continued. “Stating the obvious, but there aren’t many wolves who would have stepped up and done what you did. We owe you our thanks and our loyalty.’

“And I don’t want you to think I’m taking over, either,” Blaze added.

Marcus put a hand up to stall him. “I’m completely out of my depth and everyone knows it.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Blaze said firmly. “You had May eating out of your hand.”

“By promising her something I had no right to,” Marcus interrupted.

“By being an Alpha and reminding us that packs are about family,” Blaze replied. He put a hand on Marcus’ shoulder. “Your pack made the right decision.”

 

 

Buy the book:  Amazon

 

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Meet the author:

Victoria Sue has loved books for as long as she can remember. Books were always what pocket money went on and what usually Father Christmas brought. When she ran out of her kids’ adventure stories, she would go raid her mom’s. By the age of eight she was devouring classics like Little Women, and fell in love with love stories.

She especially loves writing gay romance because as far as she’s concerned the only thing better than one hot guy, is two of them.

Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/victoriasueauthor/

Twitter: @vickysuewrites

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

11-Apr: BFD Book Blog, Bonkers About Books, My Fiction Nook, Outrageous Heroes, Jessie G. Books

12-Apr: MM Good Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire, Alpha Book Club, Full Moon Dreaming, Love Bytes

13-Apr: Oh My Shelves, Happily Ever Chapter, Mikky’s World of Books, Joyfully Jay, The Blogger Girls

14-Apr: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Book Lovers 4Ever, Inked Rainbow Reads, Velvet Panic,

A.M. Leibowitz, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

15-Apr: Bayou Book Junkie, Unquietly Me, Caraway Carter, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: eBook from Victoria Sue’s backlist.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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A.F. Henley’s Taking Us Into the Wild & Supernatural with Wolf, WY (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

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Wolf, WY (Wolf #1)
by A.F. Henley

Publisher:  Less Than Three Press
Sales Link:  Less Than Three Press

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We are happy to have author A. F. Henley here today to talk about her latest novel, Wolf, WY, the first in a new series.  Welcome, A. F.!  Tell us a little about Wolf, WY or anything you want to tell us. 

 

 

The hardest thing (for me) about writing blog tour posts is the first few paragraphs of interaction. Should one be endearing? Excited? Analytical? I’ve tried a lot of different things along the way, but I’ve found that my favourite way of managing blog posts is to sit back in my chair and imagine the reader doing the same beside me. What would they ask me about the novel? What would I tell them back? I’ve often found the best thing I can do when discussing my novels is to turn the question back on the asker… What did you think?

Not really a fair question to spring on you guys, though is it? Considering the book doesn’t release for a couple of weeks, you would hardly be in a position to ask clear questions about the novel. So what I’ve decided to do with these posts is give you a sneak peek into the world and the characters that live between Wolf, WY’s beautiful cover. In exchange for your time, I’d like to offer you a chance to win a bunch of great prizes: a signed copy of Wolf, WY, a $20 LT3 gift certificate, and a cool Wind & Fire paw print bangle that will show the world just what you think of our furry four-legged friends. Be sure to read through to the end to find out how to participate.

But enough of me, let’s get to the point. In my last post I introduced you to Wolf, Wyoming as seen through the main character’s eyes using a “tiny teaser” directly from the book. Wolf isn’t the only community in the novel, however. Sheridan is a larger town approximately eighteen miles east of Wolf. For any of you that might have lived in a teeny-tiny community, think of it as the place where you’d head out to do your major grocery run or pick up gifts. Or, as Randy would think of it, the place you’ll head to when the folks are coming for a visit and cream of mushroom soup for dinner just won’t cut it…

So here’s a little sample of Sheridan, WY. Hope you enjoy your visit:

Tiny Teaser: Introducing – Sheridan, WY

There was a box of wine from the liquor store in his trunk, a bag of DVDs from the adjoining video/audio store (purchased, not rented, because not even God could guarantee when he’d make in back to the city), and sixty bucks’ worth of groceries from the Safeway. If nothing else he could eat, drink, and get lost in movies if—when—the weather flared back up.

The city was a mess of slush and snow piles. Elevated trucks with treads as deep as canyons grumbled by, their drivers staring down at Randy like he was driving something as foolish as a Corvette and not a bona fide 4×4 pickup. Brightly bundled kids made all manners of snow critters in postage-stamp-sized front yards while their parents shoveled their driveways clear. Snowmobiles tore up and down the side streets, whipping across the larger streets with a hope and a prayer when the way seemed clear of traffic and law enforcement. The entire city seemed to have become a land of winter worship. It was oddly uplifting, like stumbling across Santa’s workshop, except that it was well after Christmas and all the little elves had been allowed out to play. When Randy pulled into the parking lot of a diner, looked across the street, and saw two people vigorously scrubbing and hosing their snowmobiles at the Sudsy Bath Auto Wash, all he could do was shake his head over the coolness of it.

Wolf, WY Excerpt
© AF Henley, 2015

Blurb

Wolf, WY

There’s nothing like a fresh start, and for Randy, still nursing wounds left by a cheating ex and harboring a deep mistrust for all things corporate, Wolf, Wyoming seems like the perfect place to start over. Secluded, quiet, and self-sufficient, Wolf is bound to not only inspire, but to bring Randy the peace he needs. The view’s not bad, either.

Vaughn O’Connell and his family are Randy’s only neighbors for miles, and while Randy knows it’s somewhat unlikely that a man with three kids is gay, it doesn’t hurt to look. When a misunderstanding brings Randy face to face with both Vaughn and his eighteen year old son, Lyle, Randy’s not sure what to feel about either of them.

But things are not what they appear in Wolf, and the closer Randy gets, the stranger the O’Connell family seems…

Word Count: 70,000
Genre: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Notes: Wolf, WY contains some explicit content
Book 1 in the Wolf series

Wolf, WY BT Giveaway

The Giveaway

On behalf of the tour, please join the giveaway by taking part in the Rafflecopter below. The prize consists of a ‘Wind & Fire’ paw print charm bangle (a portion of the sales from this “Charms For Charity Bangle” goes directly to Guiding Eyes For The Blind), a $20 Gift Certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market (free books!), and a signed, print copy of Wolf, WY. For all the tiny-whiny terms and conditions, please check out the t’s and c’s posted on the Rafflecopter.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Less Than Three Press.

** Please note that this giveaway is being offered tour-wide and there will be one winner awarded for the entire event.

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE:

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A great big thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me today… without sites like this these giveaways and promo opps would not be possible. I can never express my gratitude enough. And a huge thanks to you as well, my friends, for reading and joining me. Best of luck with the giveaway and I hope you enjoyed the post!

Until next time,

AF Henley ❤

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About the Author

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica. A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since—an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

For more information please stop by for a visit at http://www.afhenley.com.

A MelanieM Review: Lukos Heat (Heart of Fire #1) by Megan Derr

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Lukos Heat coverDragon Najlah is on the hunt with his fellow shifters in the Royal Shifter Corp.  His quarry? The court assassin who just tried to kill the King and his brother in the process. So far the mage has eluded them, but now Najlah and his battle brothers have chased the betrayer to the snowy Shide Mountains where few would dare venture, including themselves.  The cold is beyond frigid and the peaks fearsome in their height and ruggedness.  The Shide territory controlled by the Lukos,  the wild wolf shifters.  And it is the Lukos who meet them as they enter the range on their hunt.  The feral wolves hate interlopers but agree to help in the search for the mage, if for no other reason than to get the hunters out of their territory.

Barkus, the head of the Lukos pack that intercepts the King’s Shifters is amazed to see a dragon among them.  Dragons are so rare in the Shide that they are assumed to be folklore, beings used to scare small kits.  But there roaring and unhappy in the cold, appears Najlah and Barkus is intrigued.  Najlah returns his interest but first the race is on to find the mage and navigate the treacherous conditions they find themselves in.   When a fight turns deadly, Najlah and Barkus must use every advantage they have to survive, including one that just might bind them together forever.

Lukos Heat is another intriguing start to a new series by Megan Derr.  Heart of Fire’s first story, Lukos Heat introduces us to the Kingdom of Restuel, its Rulers, and the non humans among them.  At the top of the group are the Dragons, not dragon shifters but dragons who can assume a somewhat human form but remain always dragons in mindset and action.  Derr starts laying out her universe and beings almost immediately.

There are 3 types of dragons.  Najlah is a hornless black scale, the most fearsome warriors.  His brother Fayth?  Huge, horned and a protector who just happened to have married a human who is royalty.  And then there are the Bitches, the awe-inspiring female dragons who live in the caves, have the young and are basically the rulers in dragon society. Najlah’s home is inside a volcano where the fires sooth and refresh him.  I expect more dragon natural history to appear along with more stories.  What Derr gives us is fascinating while provoking more questions.

By royal marriage and agreements set between their rulers, dragons have come to live in Restuel, along with bird and cat shifters.  The wolves?  They are a feral group that lives apart in the Shide territories, content to remain aloof and isolated by choice and geographical and meteorological  conditions.  But a war is brewing and the attempt on the King’s life is just the start of the attacks.  Who is behind it and how will they stop it?  More questions pop up then are answered here.

This short story is all about the hunt for the poisoner and the meeting between wolf and dragon.  Each is a fierce warrior, courageous, loyal, and impulsive in their actions.  Both Najlah and Barkus recognize like souls immediately and how they pull together is the charm of this story.  I love the descriptions that let us know that Najlah retains his poisonous claws, scales and even fangs in his human like form, fangs so long that he is unable to talk but communicates through growls and hisses.   Barkus is as entertaining as he is savage and able.  The two make an aggressively attractive pair. I can’t wait to see where Derr takes them and this series.

I recommend this story and will be waiting along with the rest of you to see what happens next to our dangerous duo and the Kingdom of Restuel.  I can imagine the battles and snark now, and that’s just the courtship between wolf and dragon!  Whatever it turns out to be, I am sure it will be entertaining,  inventive and a must  story for all lovers of dragons and fantasy!

Cover art by Julie Wright.  Love that cover, works perfectly for Najlah.

Sales Links:   Less Than Three Press (preorder)

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: October 22nd 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC
(first published May 17th 2013)
original title”Lukos Heat” published in Dracones
ISBN139781620044438
edition languageEnglish
series:  Heart of Fire

Get Your Wild On with BA Tortuga’s “Wolf Run” Blog Tour (contest incl.)

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ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords is focused in on BA Tortuga’s latest release, Wolf Run, an m/m/m romance by one of my favorite authors.  BA Tortuga has, without doubt, one of the finest ears for regional dialects and a western settings as demonstrated by her many novels, cowboys and bullriders.  She also loves her shifters and has combined the two here in her latest story. Don’t miss out on the excerpt below.

Contest:  To celebrate, visit here – a Rafflecopter link, to be entered to win an ebook Copy of Wolf Run by BA Tortuga.  Must be 18 years of age or older and follow the rules and regulations as stated.

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Book Name: Wolf Run
Author Name: BA Tortuga

Author Bio: Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy’s Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she’s not doing that, she’s writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing porn sites in the name of research. BA’s personal saviors include her partner, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.
Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but is feeling the Colorado mountains calling. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head.
Author Links:

Website: http://www.batortuga.com
Twitter: @batortuga

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Wolf Run coverBook Details:

ebook, 106 pages
Published June 4th 2014 by Resplendence Publishing
ISBN139781607357803
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/669-978-1-60735-780-3–wolf-run-by-ba-tortuga.html
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Buy Links:  Respendence      Amazon   ARe

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Blurb(s): Mick is a lone wolf in all ways. He’s left his pack, he’s left his homelands and he’s on the road, footloose and fancy free. Well, at least until he wanders up to a fence and finds a little wolf running his ass off behind it. Mick stops to let the pup out and is stunned to hear the young wolf, Scotty, tell him “no”. Scotty’s mate and best friend, Danny, asked Scotty to stay behind the fence, so he will be safe while Danny fights to support them both. All this leaves Mick’s fur standing on end. Maybe, Mick doesn’t need one mate to bring him home. Maybe, he needs two.

 

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Excerpt:

He dropped his wolf form as soon as he was out of sight, his body lengthening into a biped. “Dude, why are you in a cage?”

The pup yelped and scrambled back, leaping onto the porch.

“Hey, I’m not here to hurt you. I can open the gate.”

The pup looked at him then boom, a lovely lean man stood there, shaggy blond hair curling around his face. “H-hey.”

“Hi. Would you like to run? I can get you out.”

God, the kid was adorable and plenty old enough to play.

“Oh. Oh, no. Daniel would be so mad at me for getting out again.” Eyes the color of brandy caught the sun. “Daniel says I’ll get hurt, lost.”

“Does Daniel mistreat you?” Because Mick could beat someone down just for fun.

“Daniel? My Daniel?” The pup’s laugh was happy, joyous, the look on his face fond and warm. “Oh, no. Daniel loves me. He works for both of us. He brings me half his food every day. He’s a good mate. We… The Alpha said ‘too many males’, and we… Daniel pays for this home, he brushes me, he works all day every day.”

“Do you work?” Mick tilted his head, waiting, nodding in sympathy. Damn, it was hard for bachelor males to manage when thrust out on their own, especially ones who needed an alpha as much as this one did. It seemed like the kid barely held it together, at least on two legs. Sweet baby.

“I paint. I paint pictures, and I wash Daniel’s uniforms. I… I get… He follows rules better than me, and he can stop a shift, if he needs to. He can even work during the moon.”

Mick smiled, liking this kid a lot. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Scott. Scott Miller. What’s yours?”

Scott. It worked.

“I’m Mick Eagleheart. I like your belly. I kinda want to lick it.”

WolfRunBadgeTour Dates: 6/30/14WillPride


Tour Stops: Top2Bottom, Wicked Wolves & Dreaming Dragons, The Hat Party, Amanda C. Stone, My Fiction Nook, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Havan Fellows, Fallen Angel Reviews, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, MM Good Books, Parker Williams, Love Bytes, EE Montgomery, Prism Book Alliance, the Twins: Talon ps & Princess so, Redz World, Smoocher’s Voice, Renee George, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Decadent Delights, Up All Night, Read All Day, Dawn’s Reading Nook, It’s Raining Men, Iyana Jenna, Reviews & Ramblings, Sinfully Sexy, Lee Brazil, Cate Ashwood, and ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords!

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Again Contest: Rafflecopter Code:  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7d5bb769/
Rafflecopter Prize: E-Book copy of Wolf Run

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Review: Bloody Love Spats (Among Wolves #2) by Valentina Heart

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Bloody Love spats coverDespite having a coven queen for a sister, Tomislav “Tomi” Vugrin feels anything but powerful himself.  Considered young by vampire  standards, Tomi has  unusual powers, like telekinesis, that he can’t control and run in his family, making Tomi a freak of nature in the other vampires in his coven.  Disliked and taunted, Tomi spends his days reading, watching tv or getting into trouble.  But nothing prepares him for  what happens when he  finds a lost cellphone during a walk in the woods.

Stone Marik, the new Alpha werewolf of the East Pack, is out looking for his brother’s cellphone in his Pack’s territory.  The cellphone happens to have an incriminating picture of Stone taken when they were much younger and Stone wants the picture  erased.  But first he must  find the phone.  Then he smells something wonderful and traces the aroma to a young vampire in possession of the lost phone.  The instant lust tells Stone that the vampire is his mate, something unheard of between two species separated by culture and law.

What follows the mating of Tomi and Stone is nothing  anyone could have expected.  Will the mate bond and love be enough to hold Stone and Tomi together or will the centuries of prejudice and  laws bring destruction down upon them and the East Pack.

Bloody Love Spats is the sequel to Sebastian’s Wolves and it picks up the story in the aftermath of the battle for the East Pack and the death of its corrupted Alpha.  Now Stone Marik is Alpha of the East Pack and has been busy trying to rebuild the pack and its wolves.  But the years of pain and torture have left a pack cowed and broken and Stone is unsure of his ability to rebuild not only the structures that house them but make the pack into a cohesive strong unit they have the promise to be.

Heart delivers a different book and characters than the one we read in Sebastian’s Wolves.  Instead of dwelling solely on the wolf shifters and the pack structures, she adds the politics and relationships of a vampire coven to the wolf shifter universe she has been building to turn it into a combustive mixture of primal animal needs versus an ancient vampire culture so rigidly structured that all they have left to amuse themselves are with internal gamesmanship and alliances borne of self interest.  It is those political and social “headgames”, ones that potentially could end up in lashes and confinement for decades for breaking the vampire laws and social strictures that garner most of our attention, mostly because Tomi so often breaks them.

With her characterizations, Heart also deviates from the types of characters we originally met in Sebastian’s Wolves.  Unlike the older, experienced Sebastian who is just part of the pack, here the reader is given two completely different yet younger characters to connect with.  Alpha Stone, with his Beta brother Tait, are younger wolves than Sebastian.  Stone is less experienced but also an Alpha who feels responsible for his new pack and the amount of rebuilding needed for the Pack’s infrastructure and emotional needs as well.  By his very nature as an Alpha, Stone’s universe is much larger than Sebastian’s.  We meet individual pack  members as well as the adorable young pup, Naji, who he has adopted as his son.  And almost in tandem, we have Tait, Stone’s brother who is both incorrigible but also loyal.  I loved Stone and thought he and the East Pack could have used their own book, so huge are the issues they are dealing with at the moment, nothing less than an entire restructuring of the pack, from the buildings they live in to the manner in which the pack will live and deal with each other.

Then we have Tomi.  He is a young vampire, by vampire years and by personality.  Tomi has been cosseted by his sister, the Vampire Queen.  She has kept him insulated inside the castle, insulated by proximity but not isolated enough that  he is not aware that the rest of the coven not only actively dislikes him but considers him a freak of nature because of the other powers he possesses but cannot control.    Tomi is childlike, he presses against the vampire society’s boundaries, he tests his sister’s patience and the Ancients laws which she can’t always protect him against.  He is adorable, quixotic, and a character anyone can relate to, especially if you are familiar with teenagers at their most exasperating.  He wears a hoodie, watches The Big Bang Theory and  drives a Smart car.  How could you not love him?

It’s their mating that starts an explosion of cultures and ancient laws with a bloody back history Valentina Heart only hints at.  I expect the following books to fill in the missing parts of the werewolf/vampire shared history and the reasoning behind the mutually agreed upon need to keep separate.  A separation that Stone and Tomi has just destroyed by their mating and continued existence.

I think those who loved Sebastian’s Wolves and thought they were getting an continuation of that character and story might be disappointed when they get something different in scope and tone in Bloody Love Spats.  Even the title gives the reader a hint that something quite different is to follow.  The format also might take some getting used to.  It alternates pov between Stone and Tomi so we understand each person’s internal insecurities and feelings towards each other.  It will also bring one of the character’s pain home in bloody detail.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters of Stone and Tomi.  Certain characters from the original book make an appearance or two and new characters are created as a bridge to the next story and the battle of the species.  I  can’t wait to see where Valentina Heart will take this series next.  I am sure it will be just as unexpected as the two books she has given us already.

Cover art by Maria Fanning is gorgeous.  I love that model and its perfect for the story.

Among Wolves series consists of:

Sebastian’s Wolves
Bloody Love Spats

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages, sequel to Sebastian’s Wolves
Published October 2013 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN13 9781627981385
edition language English

Scattered Thoughts Summary of Reviews for October 2013

Oct-BW Header

October 2013 Summary of Book Reviews

It was a terrific month for books.  Sarah Black came out with her sequel to The General and the Horse-Lord titled The General and the Elephant Clock of Al-Jazari.  In my opinion it is the best book she has written to date, wide in scope with subtly nuanced characters that stay with you long after you have finished the story.  Also the Pulp Friction group of authors, (Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows, Laura Harner and T.A. Webb) start to bring their interconnected series to a close with 4 outstanding stories to equal the memorable characters to be found within. S.A. McAuley also brought us the second novel in The Borders War series, Dominant Predator.  I love those men, and need more of their history and complicated relationship.  Sue Brown gave us The Isle of Wishes, second in the Isle of Wight series, plus Ariel Tachna’s Lang Downs series (one of my favorite) expanded to five with Conquer The Flames, a “must read” book for all.

Well, I will let this list speak for itself.  So many great books here that there is sure to be something for everyone.  Grab up your notepad, IPad or paper, and write down the titles for those stories you might have missed.  I have linked my reviews to each book.  Happy readings!

Lady Reading Book in Chair 50 style    


5 Star Rating:

Conquer The Flames (Lang Downs #4) by Ariel Tachna, contemporary
Chance In Hell (Chances Are #5) by Lee Brazil, contemporary
Darkest Knight (City Knight #5) by T.A. Webb
Dominant Predator (The Borders War #2) by S.A. McAuley
Duplicity (Triple Threat #5) by Laura Harner
Knights Out (City Knight #4) by T.A. Webb
The General and the Elephant Clock of Al-Jazari by Sarah Black (contemporary, military)
Wicked Truths (Wicked’s Way #5) by Havan Fellows, contemporary
Wild Onions by Sarah Black (supernatural)

4 to 4.75 Star Rating:

Enigma by Lloyd A. Meeker (4.25)(contemporary, paranormal)
Goblins, Book 1 by Melanie Tushmore (4.5 )(fantasy)
Home Team by Jameson Dash (4)(contemporary)
Isle of Wishes (Isle of Wight #2) by Sue Brown (contemporary)
Knightmare (City Knight #2) by T.A. Webb (4.75)(contemporary)
Northern Star by Ethan Day (4.25)(contemporary)
Playing Ball Anthology (4.75)(contemporary, historical)
Starry Knight (City Knight #3) by T.A. Webb (4.75)(contemporary)

3 to 3.75 Star Rating:

Burning Now by A.R. Moler (3)(fantasy, supernatural)
Fool For Love by Cassandra Gold (3)(contemporary)
Strange Angels by Andrea Speed (3.75)(supernatural)
The Night Visitor by Ewan Creed (3 stars)(contemporary, supernatural)
Wireless by L.A. Witt (3.5)(science fiction)

2 to 2.75 Star Rating:

Justice (Leopard Spots #10) by Bailey Bradford (2)(shifters, supernatural)
The Unwanted, the Complete Collection by Westbrooke Jameson (2.5)(science fiction)

1 to 1.75 Star Rating:

None this month

Other Blogs:
Author Spotlight: Havan Fellows on Wicked’s Way Series and Pulp Friction
Author Spotlight: Lee Brazil on Chances Are Series and Pulp Friction
Author Spotlight: T.A. Webb on City Knight Series and Pulp Friction
Author Spotlight: Laura Harner on Triple Threat series and Pulp Friction
Author Spotlight: Sarah Black on Wild Onions
Author Spotlight: Sarah Black on Writing Old Men and the second General release

I’m Off To GRL and The Week Ahead In Reviews

GRL 2013logoShort and oh so sweet this week.  I am off to GRL in Atlanta this week and I am beside myself in anticipation.  If you listen hard enough you can hear a little fan girl “squee” here. So many people to meet and3d-person-sit-pile-books-reading-book-26141531 get to talk with, there are authors galore, publishers,, editors, other bloggers and of course readers.

Some authors i have chatted  with electronically just recently, some I have admired for years as well as so many new authors I have yet discover.  Really I am beside myself with joy. I hope to post some pictures and small journal pieces while I am gone but if things get busy (as I anticipate them to do) then, it will wait for a Scattered Thoughts at GRL Blog to pull it all together when I get back.

So here are the book reviews to be posted this week:

Monday, Oct. 14:     Conquer The Flames by Ariel Tachna

Tuesday, Oct. 15:      The Unwanted Collection by Westbrooke Jamison

Wed.., Oct. 16:            Strange Angels by Andrea Speed

Thurs, Oct. 17:            Wireless by L.A. Witt

Friday, Oct.18:           Fool For Love by Cassandra Gold

Sat., Oct. 19:               Justice  (Leopard’s Spots #10) by Bailey Bradford

It’s All In The Writing, Folks and the Week Ahead in Reviews

To prepare for my time at GRL in Atlanta in October, I am trying to get ahead in my reviews for September and October.  And that means reading tons of books and of course writing about them.  And books read in volume will highlight the most common flaws I am seeing across the boards from person reading stacks of booksauthors seasoned and brand new to publishing.  Surprisingly it’s not one sided.  Just yesterday I finished a book from a favorite author of mine only to get to the end and find that not only did the story not have an ending, it was missing a hugely anticipated “aha” moment.  I was astonished, and quite a bit frustrated to say the least.

I don’t know what is going on but these same issues are everywhere and I am not the only one who has noticed.  Currently I am working on my next mini rant “The Case of the Missing Aha Moment”.  It will pair up nicely with my mini rant on missing endings.  *shakes head*  Really there is no excuse.  The most immediate remedies to these issues that pop into my brain are 1) get a great editor and 2) super concrit partners or betas.  Both could and should point out issues such as these in a person’s writing.

For a humorous look  at writing do’s and mostly don’ts visit  http://tom.mcallister.ws/?p=868. It’s Tom McAllister’s 107 Ironclad Rules for Writers Who Want to Be Better at Writing.  Some I agree with and of course, some I don’t.  But they are fun, and thought provoking.  Here are the first six to give you a sample:

1. Write every day. Except on days when you don’t feel like writing that much and you don’t have anything interesting to say.

2. Never write when you’re too hot. Beads of sweat are ideas leaking from your brain.

3. Nobody really eats turnips. They are a ridiculous food. Characters cannot eat turnips.

4. Hypnosis is the writer’s greatest tool.

5. Skinny people are often the cause of conflict. Fat people are often the solution. NO MEDIUM SIZED PEOPLE.

6. If you must write about the travails of being a writer, at least give yourself a glass eye or a cyborg hand or something.

If you want to read more, check out the link above.  Next week we will talk about the new words added to the dictionary.  Srsly?

Now on to the very exciting week ahead.  Next week I start on the third series in the offerings from the Pulp Friction authors.  This is the Triple Threat series from L.E. Harner.  It’s menage, it’s kinky, and its wonderful.   And drumroll please…….Kendall McKenna is also releasing her long awaited sequel to Strength of the Pack.  It’s titled Strength of the Wolf and it releases Sept. 6th from MLR Press.  To celebrate, Scattered Thoughts is hosting a 2 part guest blog with Kendall McKenna and a two book contest for a lucky person who comments during the contest time.  Might even be another surprise giveaway too, more about that later.  So many great things to look forward to.  Mark your calendars, and check them twice.  Hope to see you all here all week long.

Monday, Sept. 2:                   Coliseum Square by Lynn Lorenz

Tuesday, Sept. 3:                   Triple Threat (Triple Threat #1) by L.E. Harner

Wed., Sept. 4:                          Contest Announcement and Dates

Thurs., Sept 5:                        Kendall McKenna’s Guest Blog – Part 1

Friday, Sept. 6:                       Strength of the Pack  by Kendall McKenna – Review (reposted)

Sat., Sept. 7:                            Kendall McKenna’s Guest Blog – Part 2
Winner of first contest announced

For those of you here in the States, have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.