Xavier’s life has gone to hell. Not only has his ex-boyfriend’s stalker attacked him, but in order to keep him safe he’s being sent to the Gillham pack. It wouldn’t be too bad, if not for the small detail that he hadn’t known shifters existed before that! He’s not sure what he can expect from them, but he doesn’t have a choice. When he meets Andy, he’s weirdly attracted to the man, but Xavier knows he’s not good enough for him.
Andy doesn’t want to play babysitter for Xavier, at least not until he meets him and realizes the man is his mate. He knows he’s going to have a hard time convincing Xavier to at least give their bond a chance, and that’s not counting the other problems their relationship will have to face.
The two mates will have to navigate angry families and the ever-present lab problem, and still Andy isn’t sure he’ll be able to help his mate get over his low self-esteem long enough to give him a chance.
Review
For fans of the Whitedell Pride you will be happy to know that this “spin off” relies heavily on knowing the story of the previous Whitedell packs and their mates.
In fact, Xavier was Andrew’s ex boyfriend before he found his own mate in Andy. Yeah – he went from Andrew to Andy (Not shortened for anything, his name is just Andy!)
Xavier has a lot of self-esteem issues, doesn’t know about shifters, and is possibly being attacked by Andrew’s stalker. He is put in the care of the neighboring Gillham pack (wolves) for protection when it’s discovered he’s one of the inner circles’ mates.
He doesn’t take being a mate well nor the information that shifters exist. He hates the idea that Andy is “forced” to mate with him because of the mate bond and resists until he’s finally convinced that the bond is only part of the attraction Andy feels for him.
In the way of many shifter romances this is fairly predictable, but the unique use of someone not ripped or super buff makes it superior in my eyes ☺
I really enjoyed this new start to a new series and recommend it to all the fans of the Whitedell series and shifter romances in general.
How can you be twenty-five and not know you’re gay? Billy Ballew runs from that question. A high school dropout, barely able to read until he taught himself, Billy’s life is driven by his need to help support his parents as a construction worker, put his sisters through college, coach his Little League team, and not think about being a three-time loser in the engagement department. Being terrified of taking tests keeps Billy from getting the contractor’s license he so desires, and fear of his mother’s judgement blinds Billy to what could make him truly happy.
Then, in preparation for his sister’s big wedding, Billy meets Shaz—Chase Phillips—a rising star, celebrity stylist who defines the word gay. To Shaz, Billy embodies everything he’s ever wanted—stalwart, honest, brave—but even if Billy turns out to be gay, he could never endure the censure he’d get for being with a queen like Shaz. How can two men with so little in common find a way to be together? Can the Stylist of the Year end up with the Knight of Ocean Avenue?
Review
(From previously)
Billy can’t find a woman who “sticks”. He’s been involved, seriously, three times and they all sort of fizzle out. One day he “rescues” a beautiful redhead from a bully only to find out he’s the stylist hired to help his sister for her wedding to a rich guy.
Chase, aka Shaz, sees the hunky Billy and falls into lust. But Billy is straight, Shaz has a boyfriend and a vision of his future and that future doesn’t include blue-collar straight boys.
When Shaz and Billy spend time together “sprucing” Billy up for potential future dates with a socialite pegged to be Billy’s next girlfriend they find a mutual attraction. When Billy ends up in the same bar as Shaz one night, the attraction goes from potential to realized and now the pair have some serious decisions to make.
**
I loved Billy! He was a sweet, gentle soul. His heart is so big and he is just in need of someone to recognize his diamond in the rough. Shaz was the perfect shiny foil to his understated Billy’s fabulousness. The couple had amazing chemistry and the story felt real and authentic. I totally bought in and loved every minute of it.
Audio
KC Kelly did so much with this story! He gave Shaz this delightful lisp and managed to give all the secondary characters distinct voices as well. I loved how he made it clear which “thoughts” were out loud versus spoken and really enjoyed this narration immensely. My only gripe was Ru – the voice he chose, while comical, was hard to listen to as it was so nasally. I get that it was a character development and I appreciated it for that aspect, but it was an unpleasant voice. Barely a detraction.
Definitely made the entire thing even more enjoyable!
Varro Dacien spends his life riding toward the next adventure. Brian Christie, his best friend and touchstone, the one person who’s always truly seen him, plays sidekick on these madcap adventures and subsequent trips to the hospital until he can’t take it anymore. While Brian can see Varro, Varro has never caught on that he’s breaking his best friend’s heart.
Without Varro, Brian builds himself a life that’s all about just getting by, doing his best to ignore the hole in his heart and his life. Without Brian to balance him, Varro pushes harder and takes more risks to reach that ultimate high. His job racing high-octane bikes on suicide-level courses makes it easy to get that rush… until it’s no longer enough and Varro realizes it’s not the race, but who’s waiting at the finish line that truly matters. Now he just has to convince Brian to be there.
Review
(Previously on this site)
Varro and Brian have been best friends since they were thrown together as foster kids. Varro is wild, crazy, an adrenaline junky and straight. Brian is quiet, studious, a rock and gay. Of course Brian has wanted Varro forever, but not been willing to act on it for the obvious reasons.
Varro is a motorcycle racer and Brian goes out on the circuit to help him stay focused and safe for an entire year. During that year it becomes clear that Brian can’t stay around Varro without completely losing his heart so he opts to leave the circuit to pursue his own dreams.
Varro misses Brian and begins to evaluate his feelings more closely.
When the two get together it is super-nova hot and sweet at the same time.
Though I hate to “spoil” things for you – this is one quote that epitomizes their relationship for me:
“I love you, Brian.” I leaned forward to meet his dark gaze and whisper the words he needed to hear and I needed to say.
“I love you, Varro, so much.”
“Swear it,” he said and held out his pinky with his right hand as he fisted my cock with his left.
“What’re we?” My voice dropped off. “Ten?”
“I am. You’re nine. Now swear.”
I hooked his pinky with mine as he pushed up from under me. “Jesus, Varro, you feel so good.”
“So do you.” His voice sounded like sandpaper as he reached up and hooked a hand behind my neck, drawing me down to him.
I highly recommend this amazing and wonderful book!
Audio
Greg Tremblay is one of my absolute favorite narrators. I simply adore him.
He always amazes me with his ability to infuse passion and emotion and humor into his narrations. He truly brings the words to life.
He does another amazing job with this – a fantastic Scottish accent, a slight Hispanic, and Italian… seemless and wonderful! My only complaint and I can’t say it’s anything he did poorly – but in my head Varro had a deep, rough, slightly accented, maybe East Coast accent – very growly and in Greg’s interpretation he doesn’t. So I was a little disappointed but – that’s really artistic opinion and all that…
A wonderful audiobook and still very, very highly recommended.
Dear Author,
I have never ventured far from home. Being a shifter keeps me from becoming a part of society, but it seems that society is beginning to infringe on my territory. They, the humans, are all so full of themselves and think they are entitled to my land. But there is one man, who stands up to the others, who stands on his own… he draws my attention. Why?
Photo Description:
The picture is a close-up of a gorgeous Native American man. His long, black hair moves with the wind and flows against his right shoulder. His dark eyes are looking straight at you, and you can almost feel them on your skin. His arms are crossed on his hairless chest, and there’s a barbed wire tattoo wrapped around his upper right arm. His plump, pink lips are highlighted by the dark stubble on his cheeks.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Review
This is a sweet short shifter story about a toppy twink who goes looking for proof of bears in a small Colorado town and runs into a Raven Shifter.
The shifter doesn’t believe humans and shifters can mix after being burned in the past and resists it, but his Raven side is enamored and keeps bringing gifts to the human!
It’s a very cute story with some hot sexy times, but what I loved was the animal qualities which we don’t normally get to see. The bird wants the human and we get to see new, sometimes funny behaviors demonstrated – different from the typical wolf or cat shifter stories.
The only thing keeping this from being a perfect review was the ending. I didn’t like how tentative things are left – though we know mating is forever, the couple really hadn’t gelled yet and it made me uneasy.
But – it was thoroughly enjoyable and I definitely recommend it to fans of the paranormal/shifter romance genre.
A Premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force.
When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade. What he learns surprises him, but what he feels astounds him even more.
Two lions, each born to serve, rely on one another to survive. After years by each other’s side, they’ll finally realize the depth of their potential, the joy in their passion, and a connection their kind has never known.
Review
The book starts off with Hugh’s near death! Hugh, a lion shifter and Premier (head honcho) has so much energy in his body that he requires a Siphon (an extra being who can carry around the excess energy) to be near him at all times. When not near the Siphon or if the Siphon dies, the excess energy reverts back to the Premier and the overload is fatal. As a result the Siphon’s life is guarded zealously. But he’s not necessarily treated well, beyond that.
In this case the Siphon has been protected and yet ignored since birth, so much so that he doesn’t even have a name! His feelings of desperation and loneliness cause him to take measures into his own hands, and as a result he almost ends up killing both himself and his Premier.
Hugh finally takes notice of his Siphon’s depression and starts to fix things by first giving him a name (everyone has only ever called him the Siphon), Johnnie.
What happens next is the bonding of Hugh and Johnnie and the revelation that they can mean even more to each other as mates than simply Siphon and Premier.
There are hurdles: jealous shifters want to take the Siphon both for their own and to hurt Hugh. Neither Hugh nor Johnnie know how to handle their newfound relationship and neither does the pack. But in the end we get a wonderful Cardeno happy ending that will bring tears to your eyes.
**
I just absolutely adore Cardeno C books! This is another wonderful new shifter series and I can’t wait for more! I loved the “energy” sharing twist and the very dark, dark beginning. It was quite a contrast to the very happy and light tenor the rest of the story carries.
Johnnie is wonderfully sweet and Hugh adorably clueless. Their love is tender and sincere, the sex is hot and the story moves so quickly you wonder where the time went.
I loved this book and highly recommend it to Cardeno fans, shifter fans, and fans of sweet love stories.
6 of 5 hearts
Audio
Greg. Tremblay. Sigh.
I just love him!
He did another absolutely amazing job with this. He gives so much emotion to poor Johnnie and does a fantastic job giving Hugh just the right amount of robotic certitude (at first) then utter adoration as he discovers his deep love for Johnnie.
It’s always like diving into a movie when listening to Greg tell his tales. I know I’m going to be blown away when he’s listed as the narrator and he never disappoints. When I see his name it’s an auto-buy for me!
Having him read this story that I loved so much was simply paradise and I listened to it all right away and started listening to it for the second time immediately again, because it’s just that good.
Phelan is a wolf shifter and a prince of his kin. All of his life, he’s been taught to believe in the superiority of his people. But when the shifters’ dismissive cruelty toward humans draws the eye of a mysterious witch, it is Phelan who becomes the target.
Now cursed, Phelan is forever bound to his animal form, while being the only one of his people to maintain his sense of self. The only way to break the enchantment is to find a human to love him. But who could have that kind of affection for a wretched, broken beast?
It seems like a lost cause, until one terrible winter, he meets beautiful and kind Elian. Elian brings warmth once more in Phelan’s heart. His gentle fingers tend to Phelan’s wounds, and his soft voice soothes Phelan’s soul. Phelan soon realizes Elian is his mate. But can this love surpass all the obstacles in its path, or will it be cursed like the rest of Phelan’s kin?
Blurb
Shay has an uneventful existence. He delivers his mother’s baked goods to shifter families and tells stories to his brother in his free time. Everything changes one day when, taken by surprise by a mysterious storm, Shay finds refuge in the home of a peculiar shifter lord. He does not expect for the shifter in question—Conor—to make unprecedented emotions swell inside him.
Spurned by his own family, Conor knows he should keep his distance from his beautiful, red-hooded guest. But from the moment Shay steps onto the grounds of his mansion, Conor is drawn to him like a moth to the flame. He tells himself it is all only temporary and tries to stay away, even if Shay’s smile and his trust make him feel for the first time more than the beast he knows himself to be.
What happens when the two men are unexpectedly trapped together? Will the help of an unlikely ally be enough to give this particular tale a happily ever after?
Reviews
In Mate of The Cursed Wolf Prince (sort of a version of Beauty and the Beast) Phelan and his family scorn humanity and are cursed. Phelan must live out his days only in wolf form and watch the world he knows crumble to dust. He manages to meet and fall in love with Elian even in wolf form and they manage to somehow reverse the curse and find their own happy ending.
In Storyteller for a Sorrowful Beast (sort of Little Red Riding Hood) Shay stumbles upon a mansion in a storm and is rescued by Conor. Shay is summarily cursed to stay with Conor and tell 1001 stories before the storm will let up and he can return to his family. There is some other drama and deceit but both Shay and Conor prove their love and their willingness to sacrifice and reverse the curse and find their happy endings.
**
In both these an old fairy tale is changed and given a different, gay, paranormal slant (they link to each other but are stand alones). The writing is excellent and though the romance moves along quickly (like every great shifter story has a tendency to do) it is still sentimental and sweet. The unique look at these fair tales is very entertaining and I recommend this series to fans of shifters and the paranormal.
Audie Barrack is in it up to his elbows with a sick calf when his son’s school calls. Seems Grainger has gotten into yet another fight. When he walks into the principal’s office, he’s shocked to find his son has been fighting with a little girl named Randi.
A little girl with one blind dad and one dad who recently passed away.
Goddammit.
Dixon has lost his sight, his career, and his husband. Thank God for his brothers, Momma and Daddy, and his little girl, or he would simply give up. The last thing he needs is for Randi to start trouble at school, especially trouble that puts him in contact with another dad who might expect him to be a functional human being.
Dixon is struggling to live as a blind man, Audie is terrified someone might see he has a closet to come out of, and everyone from the school to both men’s families is worried for the men and their children. Unless they get themselves together and commit to change, neither of them stands a chance.
Review
(Previously on this site)
Dixon has had to move in with his parents after losing his husband and his sight. His parents are supportive – to an extent – but there is an underlying tension in the house that keeps Dixon on the edge of miserable.
Audie is a young, single father, working his family ranch because he knows nothing else. His mother is somewhat supportive of him, but doesn’t approve of his being gay and isn’t shy about letting him know it.
Dixon and Audie meet when Randi (Dixon’s daughter) punches Grainger (Audie’s son). Audie pretty much immediately falls for Dixon but it takes awhile for that to play out.
The romance between Dixon and Audie is fairly easy going, their relationship is not. Dixon is a widower, well meaning friends and family worry Audie is a rebound man. Dixon is blind, family members worry that he won’t be able to contribute and that he might not be the best man to raise his own daughter, much less two children. Audie is a landless cowboy (he’s mother won’t put a gay boy in her will) with a child of his own.
Despite all the various obstacles and reasons why this shouldn’t work… it does and it does so beautifully.
**
I really enjoyed this country mouse/city mouse story. The immediate attraction and the acceptance of their romance between themselves let the rest of the story be about each of their own growth.
For all intents and purposes, one wrong decision led to Audie being a single dad, trapped on his family ranch at the age of 25. He’d never gotten to be a single gay man or do any of the other stuff that we do when we are young and carefree. As a result he’s older in some ways but still has a lot of that youth and inexperience in him that was a perfect mix for Dixon.
Dixon had been there and done that. Though he was only 33, he’d had a much more varied life, though not on a ranch! He was a bit jaded, a bit spoiled, a bit insecure, a bit self involved, but so brave. His family didn’t support him – not really – and he felt totally lost.
What I loved was that both men saved each other and the kids helped too. It’s hard to write kids because no two kids are a like and it can be hard to represent that mix of surprisingly mature things that sometimes come out of a young mouth along side the more immature tantrums and such. I think Randi and Grainger are excellent examples of kids done well. Though there were times I thought they were a little too mature, most of the time I really thought they were great.
I loved how the families were represented. They both felt very “gray” to me, meaning not all good and not all bad. So often the family is this all or nothing evil villain when in reality there is usually a mix. Dixon’s parents are well meaning if not fully supportive. Audie’s mom isn’t all bad, though she is pretty judgmental and petty.
Dixon’s reaction to being blind felt pretty appropriate as well, though I did wonder at his relative ease at getting over Ron. I also wondered why Ron’s family was so intent on keeping Randi when Dixon was the biological father, why weren’t his parents taking over?
Overall I thought this was a riveting and wonderful book and I highly recommend it.
Overall 4.6 of 5 hearts!
Audio
Paul Morey did an amazing job with this. God, I loved his Audey and Dix was PERFECTION. This was such a fun book to listen to with all the different southern accents! I highly recommend this as an audiobook!
According to legend, when humankind is at its most desperate, the goddess Sirius will send three of the most powerful werewolf shifters ever created to save mankind. However, because they are so powerful, they will need a fourth to complete them, to calm them and help them reach their full potential.
Aden, a young were, has been his pack’s omega ever since, at the age of fifteen, he didn’t shift like everyone else. Caught, reviled, and tortured because of his empathic abilities, he knew on the night he was told to run as sport for the pack hunters that it would end in his death. What he didn’t know, however, was that on the same night he’d also meet the love of his life and a pathway to answers, because Aden is far more than just a pack omega.
What begins as a hunt soon becomes a new adventure as Aden discovers that he has not only one, but three destined mates, and his role as lover is far more than trivial. The fate of all humankind rests upon it.
Review
Aden is being chased by his evil Alpha when he is discovered by three wolves, Blaze, Darric and Conner. They explain (by killing him) that Aden deserves better treatment and invite Aden into their group, Orion’s Circle.
There is a legend that Sirius created werewolves to save mankind from itself and Blaze, Darric and Conner are the three werewolves set to this task. They can’t complete their task without a fourth, their Psi – Aden.
At first Aden can’t believe three gorgeous men want him for a mate and that he isn’t somehow defective like he was taught (and tortured) to believe. Then there are hurdles left in place by his old pack and the fact that they want him back. Finally, there is the fate of mankind and a war to be had to save it.
**
Oh man! Usually when I see a book with more than one partner I suspect that sex is the main focus. This is a m/m/m/m – all four men equal partners in the relationship, all mates to the other. Though Blaze is the Alpha, each man has his own important and unique skill to offer the group as well as their circle.
Aden’s journey is so heart-breaking! He was tortured for so long and his self-esteem is so low that the change is somewhat “Cinderella-like” in that he finally learns of his immense worth and is treated like a king.
There are plenty of tense moments – Aden is rescued only to be captured again and rescued again. He’s mutilated and it becomes questionable whether or not he can serve his function in the circle. Then he becomes mysteriously ill and everyone rushes to find out what can make a virtually immortal werewolf sick… you can pretty easily guess what it is but it’s exciting nonetheless.
This story grabs you right from page one and doesn’t let off til the climactic ending (which is really only the beginning) and leaves you impatient for the next in the series to come out.
I hadn’t read this author but am a huge fan after this book. I cannot wait til the next installment – I wonder what will happen when the circle is complete and the “illness” comes to fruition…. Exciting!
I highly recommend this to fans of shifters and the paranormal. The romance is sweet and the fantasy exciting.
Dear Author,
He stood, head bowed, body tense, waiting. No matter what happened next, his life would never be the same…
Photo Description:
A naked man stands with his back to the viewer, a plain white floor beneath his feet. Ahead of him, a pair of large black doors are ajar, revealing a glimpse of bright light. The man’s shoulders are slightly hunched and his head is bowed; he appears hesitant to face whatever fate awaits him through the doors.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Review
This is another short story from the GoodReads Love is an Open Road event.
Entian is condemned for killing his father – which he didn’t do – but feels the judge was right when she decreed him “unredeemable” because he’s been selfish, lazy and not a good contributor to his family’s wealth.
Rig is a … okay – well he’s the guy who saves Entian and it’s part of the story so I won’t tell you much about him – only that he’s a healer and amazing!
This is an earth-like place? I’m not sure how you qualify this – but it feels earth like but not the earth we know.
Entian and Rig must navigate through both their insecurities and Entian’s desire for revenge before finding their very, very HEA.
It’s a dark story – similar in flavor and feel to Brute, also by Kim Fielding, but so rewarding! Neither character is perfect, in fact you might classify Entian as an anti-hero for most of the book – but his redemption is complete and perfect by the end.
Fifteen years ago, Ben Warren was a wakeboarding champion: king of big air, ballsy tricks, and boned grabs. Until a career-ending injury left him broken in ways he still has no hope of fixing. Now he takes his thrills where he can get them, and tries not to let life hurt too much.
Then Davis Fox arrives in Ben’s sporting goods store with a plan to get in touch with his estranged brother by competing in the annual wakeboarding double-up contest. The catch? He’s never ridden before. It’s crazy, but Ben’s a sucker for the guy’s sob story—and for his dimples, too—so he agrees to coach Davis.
Davis is everything Ben isn’t: successful, confident, and in love with life. And he wants Ben to love life—and him—too. But before Ben can embrace a future with Davis, he needs to remember how to hope.
Review
(Posted on Previous Site)
Ben injured himself during a wakeboarding exhibition. He had a tremendously difficult recovery, making him reluctant to have the surgery needed to make him physically whole again. He makes do in life working for his best friend and sometimes f*ck-buddy at a boat shop where he meets Davey.
Davey is a poor-little-rich-boy who is trying to re-connect with his homophobic family through wakeboarding. Yes, that seems weird, but it works. The little brother is heavily involved in wakeboarding and by becoming involved in the sport himself, Davey can get a back-door way in to his brother’s without upsetting the really hateful step-dad.
At first glance, this looks like a light-hearted book about a slightly older guy from the wrong side of the tracks meeting and sexing a misunderstood younger guy with lots of money while participating in a unique and sexy extreme sport. And it is. But it’s also more.
There are deeper layers to this book with some surprising emotion and topical issues. The subtle way the feelings and issues are handled is really nice. There’s definitely angst but this isn’t an angsty book. Instead, it’s mostly a fun, frolicking book that is fleshed out with some angst to add weight and dimension.
Eddie is a great character full of flamboyance but with a spine of steel. He tells Davey there is a difference between being a jock and an athlete and Eddie is an athlete. Tina is another great character who divorces her wife after having a sex change (she was Timothy pre-surgery) who flirts with the bi-sexual pageant queen at the wakeboard exhibition. Ridley, Davey’s brother, is 13 going on 30 and I really liked how he helped to pull the family together.
Some books are like cotton candy: fluffy, fun, forgettable. Some are like oatmeal: heavy, thick and really stick to your ribs (and in your brain). This is like a nice heavy bread: weighty enough to give you pause and make you think a little bit, but light enough not to drown you in a sea of sodden Kleenex.
I really, really liked this book and recommend it. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more works by this author.
Blurb
