BLURB: When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.
Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month he’s on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.
But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayor’s re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.
With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possibly…falling in love.
REVIEW: This is the second book in the fantastic spinoff from the Unbreakable Bonds series. A friend of my turned me on to these authors and I am so very glad that she did. These two authors are a dynamic duo; their characters, settings, storyline and plots are absolutely fabulous.
I became obsessed with their books starting with the Unbreakable Bonds series, the series that started it all. I was literally addicted with the first page of Shiver to the first page in this current book.
As with the rest of their series, their writing style is perfectly matched. There have been times when I’ve read books written by two authors and it didn’t seem like a cohesive story. This is not the case with these authors. Their writing style and transition from one book to the other is seamless, almost as if it’s written by one person instead of two. The editing is spot on perfect, no plot holes, gaps in storyline, nothing. It’s wonderful.
Quinn and Shane are great together. The chemistry these two men have leaps off the page. The recipe of mystery action and suspense, infused with just a touch of humor grabs and keeps your attention. You lose yourself into this world and the lives of these characters from the very first word to the very last. I absolutely adore these authors’ work and I highly recommend this series. I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
In the sequel to the Rainbow-Award-winning Skythane, Xander and Jameson thought they’d fulfilled their destiny when they brought the worlds of Oberon and Titania back together, but their short-lived moment of triumph is over.
Reunification has thrown the world into chaos. A great storm ravaged Xander’s kingdom of Gaelan, leaving the winged skythane people struggling to survive. Their old enemy, Obercorp, is biding its time, waiting to strike. And to the north, a dangerous new adversary gathers strength, while an unexpected ally awaits them.
In the midst of it all, Xander’s ex Alix returns, and Xander and Jameson discover that their love for each other may have been drug-induced.
Are they truly destined for each other, or is what they feel concocted? And can they face an even greater challenge when their world needs them most?
The Oberon Cycle: Book Two
About the Oberon Cycle:
Xander is a skythane man whose wings have always been a liability on the lander-dominated half world of Oberon.
Jameson is a lander who has been sent to Oberon to find out why the supply of the psycho-amoratic drug pith has dropped off.
What neither knows is that they have a shared destiny that will change the two of them – and all of Oberon – forever.
This is my first time writing a series – at least, the first time one has ever been accepted for publication.
To make things a little more crazy, I’m actually writing two.
The first is the Oberon Cycle, a sci fi trilogy with a heavy dose of MM romance that started with “Skythane”. The second, “Liminal Sky”, is a queer sci fi series that doesn’t really have any romance, and is a little more epic-long-term in scale.
“Lander” is book two in the Oberon Cycle, and as I write this, I find myself in a weird place, stretched a bit thin across the whole trilogy.
I am re-reading “Skythane” to make sure I don’t miss anything while writing the third and final book, “Ithani.” I have just finished edits recently for book two, “Lander.” And of course, I am writing “Ithani.” It’s a bit like being trapped in three different times at once. Events that happen over a stretch of time are compressed and mixed together, and I’m having a hard time remembering the proper order.
In short, I am swimming in the depths of Oberon.
It’s actually kind pf fun though, as it’s giving me the opportunity to make connections between books one and three that I might have missed otherwise. Like, why does Alix have long hair in book one and short hair in two and three? And how does he feel about it?
It’s a small example, sure, but it’s indicative of the kind of things that come up when you try to ensure consistency across a number of books. Sometimes it’s too late, so as a writer you have to come up with the reasons why.
Next time I write a series, I’ll probably do things a little differently. Outline a little better? Track character traits more closely? I have gotten better over the course of the three books, but my track record in book one is looking a little dismal LOL.
Anyhow, once it’s done, all the seams should be cleaned up and the holes plugged, so that you the reader won’t notice them. And if I do my job right, some of the errors might even turn into some of the story’s best twists and turns.
A writer can hope, right?
Giveaway
Scott is giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate and three copies of his queer sci fi eBook “The Stark Divide.”
Xander stared at the torrent of water pouring over the cavern entrance. Somewhere out there, Quince and the others were lost in the storm.
“What happened to everyone else?” Jameson shouted, putting his hand on Xander’s shoulder.
“I don’t know. Last I saw them was before the lightning strike.” How had things changed so quickly?
Jameson started toward the exit. “We have to look for them!”
Xander pulled him back.
Jameson’s eyes were wild.
He squeezed Jameson’s hands, trying to reassure him. “Hey, calm down. There’s nothing we can do right now.”
“We already lost Morgan.” Jameson’s eyes pleaded with him. “I can’t lose the rest of them.”
Xander shook his head. “It’s no use. We’ll never find them in this tempest. They’re seasoned veterans. They can take care of themselves. We’ll go looking after the storm passes.” The loss of Morgan weighed on him too, though he was less and less certain that Morgan had been a human boy at all.
Jameson looked doubtful.
Xander felt it too, but there really was nothing they could do. “Hey, it’s gonna be all right.” He pulled Jameson to him, enfolding the two of them with his wings. Jameson was soaked, but Xander didn’t care.
Jameson nodded against his chest. “You’re right. Gods, I know you’re right. I’m sorry. I thought we were done with all this.”
Xander held him out at arm’s length. “Gods, huh? We’re doing the plural thing now?”
Jameson gave him a half smile. “Trying it out? When in Rome….”
“How’s your hearing?”
Jameson cocked his head. “It’s better. But everything sounds muffled.”
Xander nodded. “I can tell.”
Jameson blushed. “Am I talking too loud?”
“Just a little.”
Jameson smiled sheepishly. “It’s weird. It feels like my ears are full of water.”
Xander kissed him gently. “It’ll pass.” He looked around the cavern at last, his eyes gradually adjusting to the dim blue light.
The place was a faeryland, filled with rows of golden stalactites and stalagmites, like the bulwarks of an eldritch castle. Each one was a miracle of minute detail, like candle wax dripped from above. The whole cavern was lit by a turquoise-blue glow.
Xander looked around for the source. It came from pools of water on either side of the cavern. The scintillating light shimmered along the walls, creating complex, ever-changing patterns.
“Look, Jameson… it’s beautiful.” They were both a muddy mess. “We’re stuck here until the storm blows itself out. Why don’t we get cleaned up and try to rest? Then we can figure out what to do next. We have a long flight to Gaelan.” He was still shivering from the rain.
“A bath sounds like heaven.” Jameson let Xander lead him to one of the glowing ponds.
“Do you think it’s safe to go in?” Xander asked, pulling off his boots and testing the water with his toes. It was warm.
Jameson looked queasy, but then he smiled. “They called them faery ponds. There’s a microscopic organism that makes the light. It’s harmless, but beautiful.” He grinned. “Romantic, even.”
Ah, that’s how you knew this place. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” he said, slowly and clearly, gesturing to indicate Jameson and the cavern. His own generational memories were still fleeting, occasional things.
Jameson’s smile fled. He shrugged. “Not me personally….”
“Shhh. I know.” If he closed his eyes and focused, he could see this place too, but he seemed to be able to block them out when they were inconvenient. “Too many memories.” Xander pointed at his head.
Jameson nodded. He looked relieved. He reached out and pulled Xander close, his hands warm on Xander’s waist.
Xander slipped his arms around Jameson and kissed him once, twice. He wrinkled his nose. “You’re filthy and you stink! So do I.” He held up his shirt as proof. It was covered in mud stains.
Jameson laughed. “We can fix that.”
He helped Jameson unlace the sides of his shirt, pulling it off to reveal the naked skin underneath. Jameson returned the favor, his hands lingering for a moment before withdrawing to pull down his own pants.
They shucked their wet and dirty clothes and descended into the water. It was surprisingly warm, silky and smooth around Xander’s waist.
The pool was about three meters across and sloped down to about a meter deep at the far end. There was a warm, gentle current drifting past Xander’s legs, and the stone beneath his feet had been worn smooth by water and time.
Xander washed the grime off his skin, and it drifted off into the water around him.
Jameson pulled him in deeper and gestured for him to lower his head.
Xander lay in Jameson’s arms, and warm water washed over him, carrying the mud and dirt out of his hair. Jameson massaged his scalp, pulling away the twigs and bits of gunk he’d accumulated on the mad run through the forest in the storm.
Xander’s desire threatened to overwhelm him at Jameson’s gentle touch. He dipped his face into the water and rinsed off. It was so fucking good to get clean.
He shook his head, splashing Jameson, who shot him an aggrieved look.
The look turned into a wicked grin, and Jameson splashed him back. Then they were going after each other and laughing, a fine mist of water flying through the air.
Damn, it’s good to hear you laugh again. Xander grabbed Jameson and kissed him, harder this time, and Jameson’s body responded. They fell back into the water, and Jameson was hard against him, his own need naked before Xander’s desire.
After all that had happened, Xander needed to feel human and alive again. He tugged Jameson back to the shallow part of the pool and pulled his skythane down on top of him, Jameson’s skin warm against his own.
He kissed Jameson’s neck and nibbled on his ear, eliciting a low moan.
Jameson wanted this as much as he did. He could tell.
For a long, slow, ecstatic hour, Xander forgot all about the storm.
Author Bio
Scott lives between the here and now and the what could be. Indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine, he devoured her library. But as he grew up, he wondered where the people like him were.
He decided it was time to create the kinds of stories he couldn’t find at Waldenbooks. If there weren’t gay characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.
His friends say Scott’s brain works a little differently – he sees relationships between things that others miss, and gets more done in a day than most folks manage in a week. He seeks to transform traditional sci fi, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something unexpected.
He runs Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, sites that bring queer people together to promote and celebrate fiction that reflects their own reality.
When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.
Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month he’s on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.
But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayor’s re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.
With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possibly…falling in love.
Excerpt
After one quick knock on Rowe’s door, he stepped inside without waiting for him to call since he was already expected. But he stopped short when he saw the tall man standing next to Rowe’s desk, his hands on his slender hips as he grinned down at Rowe. Quinn couldn’t stop his eyes from quickly sweeping over his broad shoulders and chest that tapered into a narrow waist. His eyes snapped back up to find a pair of brown eyes that twinkled as they finished checking him out as well.
“Sorry,” Quinn mumbled, instantly taking a step backward. “I can come back.” Rowe rarely saw clients. He had customer representatives that handled talking to the clients. Of course, with Rowe’s lack of a filter, it was better if he didn’t talk to the new clients directly.
“No, come in, Quinn,” Rowe said sharply. He stood behind his desk, drawing Quinn’s gaze to his shorter but broader frame. His dark red hair stood up slightly as if he’d been running his fingers through it. Quinn never took that as a particularly good sign.
With a quick jerk of his head, Quinn stepped in and shut the door behind him. The other man was smiling at him, that assessing look still in his eyes, and Quinn didn’t want to think about the fact that he was dying to take another longer look at him, but not with the freaking boss in the room.
“Quinn Lake, this is Shane Stephens. He’s a private investigator with The Merleau Detection Agency,” Rowe introduced.
Shane extended his hand to Quinn and Quinn clenched his teeth, trying to hide his discomfort at taking Shane’s hand. His own palms were sweaty, making the momentary contact awkward. Why the fuck was he always so damn awkward around hot guys?
“Rowe tells me you’re the best,” Shane said, releasing his hand.
Quinn couldn’t help the skeptical look he shot at Rowe, who only shrugged as he sat down again. “Well, I said you <em>and</em> Gidget are the best.”
“Is this about a job?”
“Sit, Quinn.” Rowe absently waved toward the two chairs in front of his desk. He shuffled some papers around without seeming to actually look at them, placing them in piles at the edge of his desk.
Shooting one last uncertain look at Shane, Quinn moved to the farthest chair and sat, his tablet clenched in both hands. His mind raced as he tried to figure out why he’d been called into this meeting. Clients didn’t meet with Rowe, and Quinn didn’t meet with clients unless they’d already been assigned a bodyguard. And while they’d worked with some private investigators in the past, Rowe wasn’t usually involved. He had a company to run.
“Shane recently acquired a client who is the victim of a hacker,” Rowe started.
Quinn looked up at Shane, who was still standing beside Rowe’s desk, his mind finally turning away from too many questions to a problem he could understand. “Identity theft? Bank accounts drained?”
“No, not yet.” Shane shook his head, some of his dark curly hair falling forward against his temple. “At least, not that we’ve uncovered.”
“Then how do you know this client was hacked?”
“There are other signs…but I can’t go into it.”
Quinn frowned for a second. That certainly wasn’t going to make his job easier. “Well, do you just need improved protection? Alerts on accounts? We’ve got a comprehensive list of things we can do to help shore up the client’s account protection and privacy.”
“Shane isn’t looking for protection from the hacker for the client.” Rowe paused until Quinn looked back at him. “His client has hired him to track down the identity of the hacker.”
“Whoa…” Quinn said on an exhale, sitting back in his chair. That…that was not an easy task. Most hackers were pretty damn good at not being found. You had to be if you wanted to survive as one. If you sucked, you were usually snagged by the FBI pretty damn fast. Quinn would know. He’d started hacking at a young age—not stealing other people’s money but just breaking through security systems because he could. It took the feds a solid five years to catch him. But his boss knew all this. Rowe knew everything about the people working for him.
“We’re not equipped to handle this level of…” Shane frowned at Rowe’s computer as if he blamed it for his problems. “Well, we’re not staffed yet to handle computer things like this. I can do some of the forensic research in accounting matters, but I need a computer genius like you.”
“That’s why I agreed to loan you to Shane and his business partner, Ethan, for one month,” Rowe announced.
Quinn was out of his seat in a shot, hovering over the edge of the desk as he looked down at his boss. Pain shot through his chest, and he was suddenly having trouble catching his breath. Panic clouded all of his thoughts. He loved working for Ward Security. He’d been there for just less than two years, and he’d never found another place where he’d felt like he fit so damn perfectly. This was home. These people he worked with, they were his friends. He didn’t have to hide or pretend or feel uncomfortable.
And Rowe…Rowe had always been amazing. Sure, he could be cranky and a little crazy. He was always loud and tended to speak before thinking. But Quinn always knew exactly where he stood with Rowe. He always felt like Rowe had his back.
But this…
“Are you getting rid of me?”
“What?” Rowe snapped. “Where the fuck did you get that idea?”
“You’re hiring another IT person. I saw the listing. And this? Putting me ‘on loan’?”
Rowe groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. With a heavy sigh, he pointed back at the chair Quinn had just vacated. “Sit.” Grudgingly, Quinn followed direction while Rowe looked over at Shane. “Can you give us a minute?”
Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.
Devon Murphy has never believed that there were fairies at the bottom of the garden, but when he’s in an accident on his way to his grandmother’s house and comes face to face with the biggest, baddest wolf he’s ever seen, he’s forced to reconsider.
When his grandmother asks him to look into a string of suspicious accidents, he finds a much bigger mystery to unravel. From his childhood best friend to the too-attractive Deputy Wade Hunter, everyone in Rowan Harbor seems to have something to hide. Devon has to get to the bottom of it all before the accidents turn deadly.
This novel is intended for adult audiences, and contains swearing and sex scenes.
It is the first of nine books in The Rowan Harbor Cycle, not a standalone. Devon and Wade will return in book four to continue their story, so this book contains a HFN, not their HEA.
Kimi’s thoughts:
I’ve not come across this author before and when I first read the blurb, I thought it sounded refreshing. I first took a peek at the author’s Amazon page and discovered he has another series already out but it isn’t paranormal, which I’m currently in the mood for, so passed them by (for now).
I really like the natural way Sam’s prose flows across the page. Nothing seems forced and I slid right into the world Rowan Harbor from the very first paragraph. Devon, Jesse, and the rest of his friends and fellow townsfolk are all very likable people. They are all familiar in a way that should we ourselves somehow find ourselves moving into this small town, we’d not be suspicious of anything. There are little quirks noticed by recent arrivals, such as how reverent everyone seems of the town council, and the way they view anyone whose family is less than a hundred years resident there as an outsider. There’s very good reason for that, as Devon finds out.
If you love stories of fated mates and paranormal creatures, but wish for variety outside the usual tropes, this is definitely a must-read. It’s fun and there’s a mystery to be solved, well two actually as it happens. The HFN ending is definitely happy with the knowledge that we get to ride along for their ‘ever after’ and that more couples are soon to find their One as well, without it being too terrible of a cliffhanger. One mystery is resolved, but the second promises to be an overarching plot point I look forward to following as it is resolved. I am very much eagerly anticipating book two.
Hey, y’all! I’m BA Tortuga, resident redneck and playlist junkie.
So, I have to say, this is one of the longest playlists I have. Why? Country music is all about booze and recovery. All about.
There are other reasons, but those would be spoilers, so I’ll just not.
*grins*
Another Morning After Bleu Edmondson I’ll Have to Say I Love You In a Song Jim Croce Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning Chris Stapleton Better Than I Used to Be Tim McGraw I Breathe In, I Breathe Out Chris Cagle Lonely No More (iTunes Originals Version) Rob Thomas Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & GarfunkelAnywhere But Here Chris Cagle Flying Dutchman (B-side Version) Tori Amos Burning House Cam Don’t Jewel Secure Yourself Indigo Girls Forgiveness Patty Griffin Take Me to Church HozierDrinkin’ Problem Midland Up to the Mountain (MLK Song) Patty Griffin Song for the Asking (Live) Simon & Garfunkel If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me Bellamy Brothers No One Is To Blame Howard Jones Going Under EvanescenceEverybody Hurts R.E.M. Fast Cars And Freedom Rascal Flatts Closer to Fine Indigo Girls Closing Time Semisonic Anna Begins Counting Crows A Case of You Joni Mitchell Inside Out (Acoustic Version) Eve 6 Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright Peter, Paul & Mary Mad World (The Voice Performance) Taylor John Williams Don’t Speak No Doubt Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel Whiskey And You Tim McGraw Putting The Damage On Tori Amos Blue Ain’t Your Color Keith Urban Suede Tori Amos Trouble Me 10,000 Maniacs We Were Us Keith Urban & Miranda Lambert Enough Of Me Melissa Etheridge Come On Get Higher (Live Bonus Track) Sugarland Anything Goes Randy Houser
I Could Fly Keith Urban Nobody’s Crying Patty Griffin Ain’t Worth the Whiskey Cole Swindell
Help Me Make It Through the Night Sammi Smith Losing My Religion (Unplugged) R.E.M. Let Him Fly Patty Griffin Gravity Sara Bareilles Let Her Go Passenger Stand Back Up Sugarland Either Way Chris Stapleton If It Wasn’t for the Whiskey Zac HackerLeave The Pieces The Wreckers The Truth Trent Willmon Habit (Needle In My Arm) Roger Creager At This Moment Billy Vera and the Beaters Whiskey and You Chris Stapleton
Counting My Lucky Stars Mike Stinson All For You (acoustic) Sister Hazel If I Go, I’m Goin (feat. Macy Maloy) Bart Crow Rain King Counting Crows What Hurts the Most (Live Acoustic) Aaron LewisGood Enough (acoustic guitar) Sarah McLachlan Kiss Me When I’m Down Ryan Kinder We’ve Got Tonight Bob Seger Drive Melissa Ferrick Tin Man Miranda Lambert
Much love, y’all.
BA
Slip blurb:
Recovery: Book Two
Love is a fragile thing, and it can slip through your fingers if you don’t hold on tight….
When Zack Jung’s AA sponsor and friend commits suicide, he’s desperate to hold it together, and there’s only one place he can turn. He calls Josh and Kris, and they take him back to their ranch outside Santa Fe.
A cowboy to the bone, Cimarron Duran cherishes his orderly life and routine. He likes his neighbors, Kris and Josh, but he has less than no interest in the hipster personal trainer who comes to stay with them—or at least, he plans to fight his interest in favor of his solitary life and his art.
But some things are as inevitable as the weather, and when Zack and Cimarron finally come together, they find they don’t want to let go. It won’t be easy, though, for two men with pasts like theirs to forge a happy future together.
Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy’s Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds and her beloved wife, 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 Pinterest in the name of research. BA’s personal saviors include her wife, 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 has heard the call of the high desert and lives in the Sandias. 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. Find her on the web at http://www.batortuga.com
BLURB: Strength is found when surrendering to destiny.
Graham has suffered way too much at the hands of the Nall. Ever since he was enslaved after the invasion, he’s been raped and tortured by the Alasharian Supreme Commander and his cohorts. Condemned to die by hanging for his part in the human rebellion, Graham gives in to the inevitable, no longer caring if he lives or dies. But an unexpected event occurs and, at the last moment, Graham is saved.
Balor is a guard to the Nall, but he’s also a part of the growing rebellion among the Alasharians. When one of the Nall’sadvisors enlists his help in getting a human prisoner to safety, Balor comes to his aid. Startled by the soul match hum that sparks to life when he touches Graham, but unable to do anything about it, Balor is determined to protect his human match at all costs. When Advisor Oman arrives on the scene to rescue Balor as he helps Graham to escape, it becomes clear that yet another alien/human triad is forming—even if Graham may never accept being bonded to two aliens after the trauma he’s endured at the hands of Alasharians.
The time has come to depart to the secret military complex where the human and Alasharian allies will stage their final assault against the Nall and the Void. Families are reunited and others torn apart as they prepare for battle. The allies fear what will become of them all if Chris, the special human Sha Sha Arhas chosen as their spiritual leader, is no longer there to guide them.
REVIEW: This is book 4 in this sci-fi series, and it is absolutely necessary to read these books in order. I also need to mention that this review will contain spoilers from the previous books.
In book 4 we get Graham’s story and I was dying to find out what happened with the mysterious Void. Who is Graham you ask, well he was first mentioned, barely, in the first book. He is the son to Mr. Avery, and brother to Paul. They were the neighbors that lived on the same street and they all had grown up together. Graham had been captured in the nets by the aliens early on. He had a similar build like Chris and Morgan which was obviously a desired type by the Alasharians.
We meet up with Graham at the end of book 3, where he had escaped from the Nall’s torture ceremony and was hiding under a vehicle. As Morgan and his mates attempted to flee the park after witnessing the torture and hanging of the rogue humans, he literally stepped on a human body part that was hiding under a Jeep next to him. To Morgan’s delight the body part belonged to Graham who had survived somehow. He tried to pull Graham with him so they could escape but Graham wanted nothing to do with the aliens that seemed to be very friendly with Morgan. After learning Chris and his family were still alive, Morgan finally convinced Graham to go with him and his mates despite the condition he was in. He had obviously suffered at the hands of the Nall. No specifics were given regarding exactly what was done to Graham, only that he was raped and tortured.
It was a female Alasharian that provided the distraction for Graham to run. But it was Balor, a Alasharian guard to the Nall that made certain Graham was freed. After what happened to Graham he was surprised and almost speechless when he realized that this alien was actually helping him. Then we meet the handsome Advisor Oman, who had saved Balor’s life. Balor had long admired Oman and the feeling was mutual. So there you have it…the third soul match. Oman, Balor, and Graham.
Besides the soul match between Graham and his mates this book was about the human and Alasharian rebellion. In order to fight the Void, who had become increasingly dangerous, they became allies. This book added more depth to the growing suspense of what will happen with Chris and his family when they discover he is the chosen human. Will this tear them apart. Who will survive this war in the end? What happened to Chris and his mates since they left the park? So many questions. Anxiously waiting on the next book, Morticia.👍🏾
BLURB: Embracing destiny was never meant to be easy.
Morgan can’t figure out where he belongs anymore now that a new world has emerged in the aftermath of the Alasharian invasion of Earth. Everything is too strange and frightening and all he wants to do is hide from it all. It doesn’t help to ease his confusion when he finds himself being drawn to not one but two aliens. He thought his cousin Chris was insane to fall in love with the muscled warriors who bonded with him as his mates, but his own heart might be in danger when it comes to the warrior Rama, and Hallosh, an advisor to the Alasharian’s Supreme Commander, the Nall.
Chris experiences a terrifying vision from the Soul Healer and it becomes clear that both Alasharian and humans are running out of time to save the Earth from the insidious spread of the Void. A battle is imminent and it becomes imperative to protect those who are allied against the evil that has corrupted the Nall.
Everything on Earth is about to change once again and Morgan finds himself at the brink of discovering his own destiny—and how the two aliens he can’t get out of his mind will be a part of it. A disturbing event triggers the beginning of the fight against the Void. Chris and Morgan must separate for the first time since the invasion, with each of them leaving with their own soul matches. For Morgan, he hopes the goodbye he says to Chris won’t be forever.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of death and violence.
REVIEW: Just a small warning here, that this is the third book in this series and the first two books are vital to the story. This review may contain a few spoilers for anyone who has not read books 1&2.
So in this book we get Morgan’s story. You may recall in my reviews of books 1&2 I found Morgan to be completely annoying. Well, in the beginning Moran is still very cautious about the Alasharians, but he’s beginning to thaw due to the kindness and bravery that his cousin Chris’ alien mates have shown him. He’s also still fearful and bewildered about how Chris was not just in a relationship with the aliens but in love with them. Morgan just needed some time to process everything going on including the uncomfortable feeling he got every time he and Hallosh, the alien that rescued him in book 2, were in the same place.
Then he meets Rama, Lasar’s best friend and fellow warrior. Now Morgan is in Rama’s care where they get to know each other and a sort of friendship develops before the same uncomfortable spark develops between him and Rama. To his shock and surprise, Morgan begins to understand the spark between him and Rama which leads to him uncovering his other match. I will say that the insta-love between Rama, Hallosh and Morgan felt a bit rushed. Rama went from not being interested in anything between him and Morgan to being all in.
I did however thoroughly enjoy this book and the drama of the Void, the Nall, the Soul Healer, and Chris who has become the chosen human to lead this fight for both the Alasharians and the humans.
Chris has had a monumentally bad month. First, an aggressive band of aliens invaded the Earth, conquered the world, and now he’s fighting for survival in the mountains with his family and the neighborhood bigot. Just because he’s barely out of his teens and a bit on the scrawny side doesn’t mean he can’t watch out for his mom, sisters and younger cousin. Chris keeps searching for the brighter side of things, but his humor is wearing thin. Fear can do that to a guy.
Lasar and Nary are a soul matched pair of warriors from Alashar. Lasar is Nary’s Ahna, the one who dominates him, and Nary is the Nasha, or submissive, to Lasar. Every Alasharian, regardless of orientation, needs the balance of the power exchange to exist peacefully within their lifelong soul match bond. When Lasar is awarded a war prize, he sends Nary to look over the recent arrivals.
Chris and his cousin Morgan are captured and sent to the slave cages where they discover from the other imprisoned young men that they are destined to be sex toys for alien pairs. When one of those aliens saves Chris and his cousin from being abused by the slave master, Chris hopes that the seemingly kind alien won’t be too horrible an owner.
Lasar and Nary are finally alone together with their new sex slave, ready to enjoy their reward. However, in the middle of their playtime a shocking event occurs that not only disrupts Chris’ world even more than it already has been, but also challenges everything that Lasar and Nary have always held dear. As Lasar searches for answers, he begins to question the reasons behind the Earth invasion and where his loyalties should really lie. As their Ahna, he must be the one who decides whether they will all be safer together, or apart.
REVIEW: I hesitated about reading this book because even though I love the BDSM genre, I’ve never really been interested in sci-if books. Well I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this one for the most part. The first part of the book vividly describes the aliens, Alashrians, and our planet after an alien invasion. The author gives you details about the events that take place and why those things are happening.
Chris is a 20 year old guy living a normal life when aliens invade earth. Chris is terrified but in order to survive he and his family, which includes his cousin Morgan, have to flee and hide in the woods. He figures with all the camping he did with his dad, the woods will be the safest place for them to be undetected. Well, unfortunately Chris and his cousin are captured by the aliens and taken as sex slaves, toys. Now right around this point in the story you’ve met quite a few characters, some of which I did not care for. His cousin Morgan is one of them. God he was whiny and annoying. I constantly wanted to slap him.
Anyway, one of the things we learn is the dynamics of the relationships between the Alasharians. In their society relationships are made up of a Dominant, called a Anna, and a submissive, called a Nashar. The two in the relationship are soul matched, like soul mates. Chris finds this type of relationship quite interesting because prior to the invasion he had wanted to visit a BDSM club to experience the power exchange that takes place between a Dominant and a submissive. The author explains the specific dynamic of the relationships and the hierarchy that exist between these aliens. This part of the story seemed a bit different than the first..a bit off maybe.
Regardless, overall I liked the premise of the story. I liked the romance that takes place between our MC’s. Book 1 ends in a HFN so you have to read the next book to find out what happened to our MC’s. I give this book a 3.5 stars.
Chris and his alien soul matches, Lasar and Nary, are ready to deepen their new bond as mates. It’s also time for Chris to begin his training as a Nasha, or sub, and for Nary to embrace his new role as Ahna, or Dom, to Chris. As three in the soul match, they are unique. Not only have Alasharians never matched with a human, they’ve never matched as three.
What makes them special also puts them in danger. The Supreme Soul Healer warned Chris that many changes were ahead, ones even more startling than the original invasion. They must keep their bond a secret until they know who they can trust.
As Ahna to both Nary and Chris, Lasar carries the responsibility of protecting his mates. A proud Alasharian warrior and commander, he’ll stop at nothing to keep them safe and to help Chris find his missing mother and sisters. To make sure that Chris’ cousin Morgan isn’t sent back to the slave cages, he’s also arranged for a fellow commander to take Morgan into his care when he returns from battle.
Lasar and Nary are invited to a pleasure party by the Alasharian’s leader, the Nall, and are forced to bring Chris and Morgan. But a terrifying turn of events sets in motion what might be the beginning of the end for them all, unless they can resist the void.
REVIEW: First, let me warn you that book 2 ends in a cliffhanger which shockingly enough did not bother me but may bother others so the author may consider mentioning this in the blurb. It could possibly affect the readers overall experience.
Now, I had to read book 2 in this series to find out what happens next between our MC’s. I initially stated in my review of book 1 that sci-fi is not a typical genre for me, but this series has become the exception and I’m glad I decided to give it a chance. Book 2 has angst, romance, quite a bit of intrigue, and hot damn sex and more sex. I really liked book #2. The story progresses nicely as Chris learns more about being the third person in a loving relationship, as well as being a sub. Nary and Lasar also learn about their small human who they find fascinating and totally love. We learn more about the Void, and the Nall and who can be trusted and who can’t.
Well as we learned in book 1, Chris, Lasar and Nary are soul matched which has never been done or heard of. Because of this discovery and many others revealed by the Supreme Soul Healer who is the alien version of our religious entity’s, their relationship as soul matches has to be kept a secret, hidden. Morgan, Chris’ cousin, who is under Lasar’s protection is learning more bout the aliens also. He’s still annoying and I still want to bitch slap him, but things seem to be changing with Morgan. I can’t wait to see how she introduces Morgan to his alien mate/mates.
Book 2 was good, but book 1 is a must or the reader will be lost in my opinion. There are two many details that are important to the story. I give this one 4 stars.
BLURB: When shifters Aleco and Pedro find their world torn in two, they have to stick together, fight together and be as one in a way they never have before.
For Aleco the pieces of his happiness jigsaw have finally fallen into place. With his son Neo now content with a new mate, it’s time for him to celebrate with the two people he loves and desires most in the world.
But little does Aleco know that waiting for him and Pedro is the worst news of all. The third in their relationship is missing, vanished without a trace. There one minute, gone the next.
In their frantic dash to find her, a desperate passion is fueled and their emotions collide with fiery consequences. Taking solace in each other is all they can do.
But will they find her? And why has she left them? The only thing left is to keep hunting for the answers and following her trail.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of anal sex.
REVIEW: This was a little novella in the series, a little over 50 pages. This is another ménage mating in the series, only this one is MMF. Despite its short length, the novella still fit well into the series and was written quite well. I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting it to be written as good as it was what with it being a novella. The characters are engaging and storyline is nice and fits in perfectly with with the overall arc of the series. The editing was also good.
This novella reads like a full length book and will definitely hold your interest. Please note: these books, in my opinion aren’t stand-alone and is best when read in sequential order so you have a better understanding of the series and characters.
Scott lives between the here and now and the what could be. Indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine, he devoured her library. But as he grew up, he wondered where the people like him were.
