Otto Jones, a cop assigned to the seemingly random murder of a vampire, would rather hide out in the nearest bar than waste his time on a dead vamp. He hates the bloodthirsty demons. But when the king of the vampires commands him to work with one of the lesser princes and find the killer, he has no choice.
Prince Jessamine Senera is ready to sacrifice his happiness in a loveless marriage for his family’s benefit… but not yet. He dreams of adventure, excitement, and true love. He lives on romance novels and detective stories and wishes he could drink synthetic blood like every other vampire. But he can’t. He needs human blood to survive and is hated by vampires and humans alike.
As Otto and Jessa draw closer to an entity that doesn’t want to be discovered, Otto finds the heart he thought long dead opening to the romance-loving Jessa. No good can possibly come from falling in love with a vampire, but when a shadowy assailant attacks Jessa, Otto will descend into the darkest pit of the earth to rescue him.
REVIEW: This is a new to me author and was absolutely blown away by this story. This book was very well written. The storyline, dialogue and characters were wonderfully fleshed out.
Otto’s character is a flawed hero. He’s has his demons and has not moved past the grief over losing his sister. It’s this grief, anger and distain towards vampires drives virtually every decision—good and bad—that he makes.
Jessa’s character is a complete opposite of what you would think a vampire’s personality would be. He’s gentle, kind and soft spoken. He was more human by way of personality and temperament.
These characters are so well written, you end up caring for them. The storyline moved among smoothly, the plot was well thought out and the dialogue is superb. This book held my attention from the first page to the last and I’m really looking forward to seeing more from this author and this series.
Centuries ago Lucien’s family and pack were slaughtered and betrayed by family. Lucien was then enslaved for five hundred years by the demon who killed his succubus mother.
One thousand years later his powers as Alpha and Incubus are growing. He is now ready to take his rightful place as Alpha Supreme, but first, he must claim a reluctant mate and escape from under the heel of his possessive Vampire master Sargon.
Lucien is a hybrid shifter in a world where being unpure is not tolerated. Lucien should have never been born. Enter a dark and savage paranormal world, where being weak is stamped out and exploited. Being dominant and unapologetic is key to survival.
Follow Lucien as he seeks vengeance against the uncle that betrayed him and the demon who enslaved him and murdered his mom. Where secrets, allies with hidden agendas, and political jousting determine the fates of many.
A dark, sensual, and paranormal fantasy series by new author Dora Esquivel.
Kimi’s thoughts:
As debut novels go, this was one offering I am glad I didn’t pass up. I picked this up via KindleUnlimited, which has been a fab way for me to try new authors (and to sate my hefty reading appetite without bankrupting us, haha).
This was definitely not your run of the mill shifter story. Esquivel took many of the tropes and stood them on their head, breathing new life into this popular genre. It’s not a light and fluffy romance, so if you need that, this is not going to be your cup of tea. Her characters were engaging and her prose sucked me in from the very first page. I ended up reading this in one sitting, luckily it’s a fairly fast read. Be warned though, there is a cliffhanger.
You can get it on Amazon, where it is in KindleUnlimited for those who read using the subscription service.
For
centuries Gabriel, Michael and Lucifer have worked together, coexisting in the
same universe. Gabriel chooses to remain silent and secluded, preferring the
garden in the Hall of Souls. He dances beneath the Tree of Life, barefoot and
with reckless abandon…until the day he looks into the eyes of another angel and
sees the dreams he’s kept silent mirrored there.
Eons
have passed since the moment Michael came to be the general of the All Father’s
army in heaven, the protector of mankind. Michael has been in love with Lucifer
for as long as he can remember, their relationship second only to his bond with
the All Father. But lately, Michael has begun to notice cracks in the surface
of their love, sensing that his lover is not as angelic as he seems.
Lucifer
was the All Father’s first creation, the bringer of light, his Morning Star. He
has sat to the right of the throne every day since the dawn of time. Two things
were tasked to the Archangels from the start: put no other before the All
Father, and protect the humans he cherishes. Lucifer challenges both sacred
rules. He puts his love for Michael before his love for his creator, and he
questions his creator’s wisdom when it comes to the atrocities he has seen
committed by mankind.
One
will fall while two remain and grow stronger. A battle of wills is on the
horizon, and not only mankind, but the fate of all beings will hang in the
balance.
NOTE: this is an excerpt from a book that is still in the writing process and has yet to be edited.
Prologue…
“Lu,
please, don’t do this.” Michael begged. Collapsing to his knees, he reached for
Lucifer’s face, only to have his hand knocked away. The look of love and
tenderness he’d once seen in the darker Angels silver eyes was gone, replaced
with anger and hatred, the normally shining orbs bleeding into a dull gray with
pulsing coal black slits.
“You
made your choice Michael.” Lucifer hissed, venom wrapped around each word he
growled between clenched teeth.
Standing,
the pissed off Angel shoved Michael aside, advancing on Gabriel. “You did
this!” Lucifer let his wings unfurl and the All Father gasped. An Angels wings
were liken to their limbs, an extension of their soul as much as bones and
skin. Lucifer’s normally black and silver marbled feathers loomed over him,
awash in a darkness that resembled brimstone and ash, the tips a dull, lifeless
gray that matched his now dead, slitted eyes.
In
a blur of movement that none of them expected, the dark Angel flew into the
air, spinning and knocking Gabriel off his feet with the suddenly massive
appendages jutting out of his shoulder blades. “I will destroy you Messenger.
Much like you’ve done to the love he once felt for me, only for me!”
“Enough!”
The All Father’s voice boomed, the heavens shaking, a brilliant white light
momentarily blinding all his Angels. Blinking, Gabriel stood and moved over to
where Michael sat crouched, staring up at Lucifer, confusion and pain dotting
his vibrant blue eyes. “Angel of light, my son and most trusted advisor, I beg
you to stop this madness. You know what the consequence will be.”
Lucifer
glared at the All Father, chest heaving, breathing labored, senselessly
fighting against the band of light wrapped around his middle like the sheath of
a knife. “Father, please don’t…” God raised his hand silencing Michael.
“I
am sorry, Michael, but he has made his choice which leaves me no alternative.”
The band around Lucifer tightened, the floor beneath him opening up, exposing
clouds of thunder and rain. “Star of the Morning, bringer of light, you are
stripped of your titles, your wings forfeit. You shall now be known as Satan,
the serpent, the prince of darkness.” Lucifer howled in agony as the strong
coal-black feathers were stripped away from his being. “I cast you out of
heaven and forbade your return.” The iridescent tears cascading down the All
Father’s cheeks formed a river beneath the writhing Angel.
Michael
cried out, turning and burying his face in Gabriel’s bronze robe, the silky
fabric soon soaked through with fresh, warm tears. He wrapped his arms around
Michael, shielding him from Lucifer’s violent, turbulent eyes. In the eons to
come, the slow passage of time he and Michael would face together, Gabriel
would always question his role in the events of that day. Could it have been
avoided? Of course it could have, but that would have meant walking away from
the Angel that he loved second only to the All Father.
He
asked himself for the millionth time as he held Michael’s head so he wouldn’t
see the clouds open up and swallow Lucifer, dragging him down to bowels of the
earth, face a mask of agony and pain, forever exiled to the pit and doomed to
watch over and judge only the evil of mankind… what have I done?
A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning
Georgia; TM Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. A Texas transplant,
she now calls DFW her home. Most days she can be found curled up with a good
book, or ticking away on her next novel.
Smith is a single mom of three disturbingly
outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Besides her
writing, she is passionate about Autism advocacy and LGBT rights. Because,
seriously people, Love is Love!
BLURB: Maplewood, Vermont is a picturesque town filled with unique shops, unique homes, and a quaint familiarity all centered around a lake with an unusual history.
Legends, old as well as Urban, float around like the mist that hovers above the lake at break of dawn.
But they’re just stories, right?
Hayden Moore’s life was destroyed when his husband, Malcolm, was murdered. Giving up his job as an assistant district attorney in Boston, Hayden moved to the little burg of Maplewood to recover.
A new life.
A fresh start.
However, something underneath the water is stirring. Something rotten. A deadly secret wakes underneath the black waters of Lake Veronica so disturbing it haunts the nightmares of the local residents.
It’s coming closer…
REVIEW: Freddy Feeley has excellent stories to tell. And he tells them with perfection. This book is a full course meal. With almost 400 pages of an excellent storyline, character development and superb editing; this book is really something.
With the hopes that a change in scenery would help him in his grieving process after his husband’s murder, Hayden settles within a beautiful small town in Vermont. On the surface, it’s picturesque, Norman Rockwell painting perfect but under the beautiful veneer lies a dark and disturbing secret.
Hayden purchases a home and hires the town contractor and former soldier Tommy Law to renovate it. Although Tommy’s a loner, he finds himself surprisingly drawn to Hayden. Hayden’s pain and grief positively leaps off the pages at you. You feel every single bit of it and Tommy’s loneliness. It’s a damn good author whose able write a story and stir an emotional response within the readers.
What’s also interesting about this story is that the author didn’t just make the MC’s the main focus of the book. His peripheral characters also had their own vibrant personalities that were also made a part of the story. Their characters were extremely well written. He did a fantastic job of allowing those characters to shine while simultaneously maintaining focus on the MCs and the storyline.
This author is one of those authors that everyone tends to ‘sleep’ on. Meaning, he’s not part of the ‘in’ crown and as such, his work is often overlooked which is crazy. He has a writing style that is complex, cerebral and his writing style is crisp. The way he weaves a story is absolutely amazing.
You had so many wonderful ingredients to this book: grief, pain, love and loss, mystery, suspense, with a big dash of horror thrown in.
I truly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend this book and this author. Don’t sleep on this author, y’all. He churns out the most amazing stories.
BLURB: When Jude is offered a lift to anywhere on the back of a handsome stranger’s Harley, he throws caution to the wind and jumps on for the ride.
Jude has a boring office job in a sunny but deadly dull Californian town. The highlight of his day is sitting home alone with pizza and beer. So naturally, when Neo wants to take off into the sunset, with Jude in tow, he doesn’t argue.
Neo makes up his own rules. Deciding quickly that Jude is the mate for him, he breaks into a beautiful beachside home pretending it’s his in order to impress the sexy man he’s picked up. He’s hoping things are going to get hot and sweaty between them real quick.
But the cops are onto them, and as Neo makes a run for it, Jude is hauled off to the police station. It’s not looking good, what started out so promising has now left a bitter taste in Jude’s mouth.
Will Neo come back for him? And if so can he explain why whenever the huge black dog is around, he’s not? And can he really throw his life into the air and see where it lands? These are all questions that Jude’s mind, body and heart need to know the answer to.
REVIEW: This is the first book in the Redwood Shifter series. This book was off to a bit of a slow start for me but as the book progressed, it raised my interest level. The book turned out to be really interesting once I got past the first couple pages of the first chapter. I really liked how Neo’s character wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t an angel but he wasn’t a horrible person either. He was a bit of a bad boy and that’s exactly what Jude needed at the time. He could’ve done without the run in with law enforcement but it worked out in the end.
I really liked this book. I found the characters engaging despite the slow start. The editing and storyline were really very good and the length was perfect. This is definitely a series worth getting in to.
BLURB: When two become three, it’s guaranteed the earth will move.
Patrick’s life with his shifter mate Greg is idyllic. In love and lust, they exist in a wonderful bubble of contentment and satisfaction in the Redwood Forest, giving in to their needs and desires whenever the mood takes them.
Until one day Patrick stumbles across a wild dog. His wounds are shocking, but it’s even more sickening how he got them.
Neither Patrick nor Greg can abandon the poor creature and they take him into their home and their hearts. But when the new addition to their family turns out to be so much more than a dog, can they act on what their bodies are crying out for? Will a third man in their relationship upset the applecart? He certainly thinks it will and it seems he’ll need convincing otherwise.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of voyeurism, some injury description and references to violent assault.
REVIEW: This is book # 4 in the series and it was wonderfully written. I will admit that this book particular attract my attention because it featuring a ménage relationship. I’ve always been fascinated with polyamorous relationships. Those relationships are fascinating to me in the sense that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to really make those relationships work. It’s hard enough when it’s just two people in a relationship so imagine how much more difficult with another person added to the mix.
The I did a pretty good job of writing that balance between these three men. Of course initially there was a bit of drama but that’s to be expected in a relationship with more than two people but she did a great job of transitioning them from being a couple two or threesome.
I really liked everything about this book. I love how the covers to the series all uniform. That’s really important to me; it feeds into my OCD tendencies. The colors the fonts are all beautifully done, so props to the cover artist(s). The editing was wonderful and the storyline flowed quite well. The books in the series transitions smoothly from this one book other. I would definitely recommend that the books be read in sequential order. The books probably could be read as a standalone for sun but just for me personally, I always like to read series in sequential order to have a better understanding of the characters as there may be a time when a character or something that’s mentioned that occurred in another book and you just want to be able to have a better understanding of it. The length of the books a perfect: there not too long and not too short.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this book as well as the series.
BLURB:Sasha was born to, and has always defined himself by, the secret assassins’ Order of the Crimson Scythe. He chose the love of Yarrow L’Estrella and Duncan Purefoy over his duty to his clan, forfeiting his last mission and allowing Prince Garith to live. Now, the order-previously Sasha’s family-has branded him a traitor. He’s marked, and that means the brethren of the Crimson Scythe won’t stop until Sasha is dead.
Garith’s twin kingdoms balance on the brink of war, and all three men have reasons to help the king, whether loyalty, duty, the interests of their own lands, or gold in their pockets. Still, Yarrow and Duncan are willing to abandon their reasons to seek out and destroy the assassins’ order to keep Sasha safe. But Sasha isn’t sure that’s what he wants. Loyalties are strained by both foreign invaders and conspirators in their midst. It’s hard to know which side to choose with threats piling up from every direction and war looming, inevitable, on the horizon. Their world teeters on the precipice of change, and Sasha, Duncan, and Yarrow can only hope the links they’ve forged will hold if Garith’s kingdom is torn apart.
REVIEW: Well, things haven’t settled down any since Book 2. If anything, the situation is even more chaotic than ever! Yarrow and Duncan are at their wits’ end with worry about the threat the Crinsom Scythe pose to Sasha, and Sasha’s indecisiveness isn’t helping any! I’ve been addicted to this sweeping saga since the very first book, and the journey has gotten even better in this awesome book. Gus Li is a master wordsmith, painting a vivid, compelling world where the characters are three dimensional, complex, and I feel like I almost know them as my friends. I DEFINITELY recommend this facinating tale to everyone, and suggest that you start with reading the first two books in this gripping series in order to really appreciate just how great it is. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, and am looking forward to many happy hours of reading.
BLURB: Eighty six thousand, four hundred seconds. One thousand, four hundred and forty minutes. Twenty four hours. One day. In his twenty five years of life DeMatteo Santiago had often taken for granted how much could change in a single Day. When DeMatteo crawled into bed at 10:30 pm on May 7th, 1980 there was no way of knowing how the next twenty four hours would forever alter his life. As a young Alpha lion shifter DeMatteo has left his pride, in search of his mate, and a pride of his own. But the fates have been conspiring for centuries to lead him to this precise moment in time. May 8 1980, 10:30 pm, a moment in time that will forever change the life of Matthew (DeMatteo) Santiago. Facing the challenges of being the new Alpha of the largest pride in the United States, DeMatteo must find a way to lead in the face of his own personal tragedy.
REVIEW: This is the prequel to the first book in the Doubt series which is pretty much a map of all the characters in the upcoming books and their lives. This novella reveals how Matt becomes the alpha of the pride after the death of his parents, his relationship with Hugh and such.
You definitely should read this novella prior to starting the first book because it actually gives the background stories to many of the characters. I made the mistake of reading the first book before reading the prequel and I must say that I was a little bit confused as to what was going on and who everyone was in relation to Matt. I stopped in the middle of the first book and went back to the prequel.
I liked how she mapped out each character’s life and gave us a feel of each of the characters. The only issue I had with the story was Hugh’s backstory. You read he’s experienced some abuses from his old pride but it’s mentioned in the vaguest of terms for most part of the story. It’s finally revealed but by this time, I had pretty much giving up on ever finding out. Now reading about his past makes me that much more sympathetic towards what his character goes through in the first book.
You’re not going to really connect with the characters because this prequel is simply a map into the character’s lives and personalities. You will get the full story in the upcoming books. In all, I think she did a good job. This book piqued my interest because I am a fan of shifter stories in general, feline shifters in particular. Because I am obsessively in love with all things cats, I feel that there’s not nearly enough books featuring feline shifters.
This is a nice novella acts as the appetizer before the main courses.
RELEASEDATE: August 6, 2016 (first published November 27, 2010)
BLURB: Josh the vampire hunter falls in lust with one of the enemy; Richard has secrets and might not be sane–oh, sure, this will work.
Josh hunts vampires with relentless, cold precision until the night he confronts a gorgeous hunk of vamp in the woods outside Ithaca. Richard destroys all of his prejudices about vampires in the first few moments of conversation and the sexual sparks between them ignite almost as quickly. Richard offers the stability Josh never had. Josh offers the healing Richard needs so desperately.
But it’s nearly impossible just to walk away from a life of violence. An attack one evening leaves a friend in the hospital, Richard with a bullet through his chest, muttering about strange creatures, and Josh fighting to piece together what really happened. Are Richard’s nightmare attackers real, or is Josh’s favorite vamp losing his mind? Is there a reasonable explanation or has the hunter now become prey?
This title has been previously published.
.
REVIEW: This story was an absolute joy for me to read. Josh and Richard may just be my new book boyfriends. More so Richard than Josh. I just adore Richard to bits! He was an interesting mix of fierce warrior, sweet, gentle, protective, kind hearted, heartbroken vampire. He’s experienced love and loss many, many times. He’s still in mourning and feel guilty over the murder of his last human lover, whose life was taken by vampire hunters.
Josh is a vampire hunter whose led a hard life. A life filled with violence, abandonment, anger, and pain. He spots Richard one night and just makes up his mind to kill him. But the funny things happened on the way to killing the vamp.
Josh found that he couldn’t do it. One look at the beautiful vampire was all it took and the two men makes a connection. And it’s more than sexual.
I loved, LOVED this story. Josh was vulgar, rude, obnoxious, violent and a smart ass but that I felt was an armor he wore to block the pain of losing his twin sister years prior. Richard also was dealing with the loss of a loved one and these two finding each other at the time they did was perfect.
Martinez did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. The author had an entire cast of background characters brought in and was able to blend their dialogues and storyline without losing the focus on the MCs. This was definitely not a run of the mill vampire story, believe me.
Every little thing about this book was wonderful. The plot, which has been done before, was done in such a way in this that it wasn’t tired or overused. The storyline was lovely and you will fall in love with the characters. The ending was so very sweet, definite must for those who, like me enjoys a good HEA ending.
I would love to see a sequel to this, maybe a novella just to see how these two guys are doing.
Particularly when you discover there really is a hell. Aden thinks there’s no way he can avoid going down, but when an angel and demon can’t agree over his fate, Aden is given one more month to gain redemption. He doubts he can find a way to become a better man in so short a time. But it’s worth a try, right?
Living sucks
Particularly when you can’t shake free of an obsessive ex. Brody might be managing to hold down his job as a vet, but his personal life is a mess. If he doesn’t pull himself together soon, he’s going to be sliding downhill too fast to stop.
One wet night, on a dark country lane, two worlds collide and destinies change forever.
Kimi’s thoughts:
I love a great anti-hero, and this is exactly what I got. Aden has lived a rough life and it’s marked him. he’s not one of those inspirational sorts that rose above abuse and poverty to become a pillar of the community. He’s the guy that as a kid figured out how to take what he wanted, just make sure to not get caught because the punishment would make his life even more hell. As an adult, he had the common sense to restrict his vices to avoid arrest, but that didn’t mean he lived the straight and narrow. he still stole what he wanted, just making sure it wasn’t done in a way that could get him caught. He lived his life to excess, until one day, that caught up with him in a manner no one could have predicted. His last actions coupled with other incidents from childhood onwards lead him to hang in the balance as judgement finds him 50/50.
He’s given a second chance, one with a strict time limit and terms that can cut it short- with a trip straight to literal Hell.
Brody is a complicated character as well. He’s tormented with inner demons that lead to self-doubt and destructive tendencies. he has an ex who is absolutely obsessed with him, in the unhealthiest way possible. Unable to believe he deserves better, he gives in to temptations that physically and mentally hurt him, again, and again, and again. He’s moved house and changed jobs hoping to force a clean slate on himself and to make himself move forward. When Aden appears in front of his car, the two men each see something inside the other that they each can not see for themselves.
It’s a chain reaction, each one setting the other off and the series of events that follow build up to a climatic conclusion that left me nearly breathless (not exaggerating!). It wrapped up to a satisfying conclusion that wasn’t schmaltzy but which was definitely a HEA. Well, as HEA as two complicated men can be.
