Category: Fantasy

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Iron Angel (Elemental Reapers #1) by SA Welsh

Extasy Books Presents http://www.extasybooks.com/Iron-Angel/

iron angelBlurb

Brett is a government scientist on the run because the people he works for want to use his research about realms and other worlds for their own gain. He escapes with the help of his uncle, only to find a man falling from the sky in a ball of flame and feathers after being shot down by the very people he himself is running from.

Iron is a warrior guardian to the rightful king of Angelum, but was forced to flee his home realm with his king after a coup for the throne. There is a bounty on his head and the last thing he needs is to be almost captured by the human military that want to cage and experiment on him.

Iron cannot resist the tempting human that saves him and, when they give in to the heat between them, they accidentally trigger the irrevocable mate bond. Both of them are running from something, but they may just discover that each of them is exactly what the other needs.

Review

Brett finds himself rescuing a “birdman” from the government he is also running from.

When Iron awakes, tied up, he initially panics – thinking he’s been caught by the government, but when he realizes Brett only tied him up to help him heal, he realizes there is more to Brett than good Samaritan.

Iron is a warrior guardian of the king of the Angelum, protecting the next ruler by having sex with humans on earth in the hopes of shielding the power held by the ruler in hiding. (It makes more sense when you read about it – trust me – it’s a bit of a stretch- but it works- and makes for some very, very hot smexy times!)

Brett and Iron find their attraction surpasses that of the norm, and inadvertently bind themselves together. This serves a greater purpose though, because when they have sex the energy created far surpasses that of anyone else’s mating, and it will help the king and his brother. (I do this a disservice in explaining – again – it makes sense in context.)

The next stumbling block is Brett’s uncle and Iron’s King – but they soon see how deeply attached the two are and what a good union it is.

**

I really loved the world building in this story and look forward to the next installment. The unique take on mating and other planes of existence as well as the way cool power of the wings and their role in the smexy times was awesome!

I enjoyed this thoroughly and highly recommend it to fans of paranormal romance. No – it’s not about angels, but more akin to a shifter romance than anything.

Plus huge kudos for the cover – YUM!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Claimed By The Order by J. Johanis Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway

Claimed by the Order Cover
Young and eager to join the social playground of the gods, Marduk enters his first day of college at the exotic mountain retreat at the Temple of Power. But he swiftly falls into the clutches of a secret order. Confronted by the powerful gods who wish to claim him, Marduk is defenseless. His only way out: to lure another virgin god into the Order. 

Marduk finds refuge in the young god Anu-Akad. Delivering Akad to the order would earn Marduk his freedom, but Marduk struggles to keep his love affair hidden from the Order. Will his efforts be in vain? He failed to save himself. Is he strong enough to save his lover? 

Advisory: Contains portrayals of m/m sex, violence, non-con, & abuse. Intended for mature readers

 

Guest Post:

The first piece I wrote.

The first piece I wrote and published was a short story about a party in Afghanistan that I wrote in French and published in a journal at my university. Though I’ve translated the story into English, I have yet to publish the English version. I posted the published version on my website: http://jjohanis.com/2015/07/10/loccupante-ayd-french/

In 2005 I wrote my first novel which was M/M historical fantasy with BDSM themes. However, after finishing the initial draft, I ended up abandoning the project due to unresolved issues with the plot. The setting was Neustria France in the Early Middle Ages during the Merovingian Kingdom, and since I researched the era extensively, I plan on returning to it someday. In addition to studying the period, I lived in that part of France for half a year and visited the Breceliande Forest where a lot of the story takes place.

Last year, I finally cracked down and published my first novel, Siren’s Reckoning. Since I wrote this book while working and traveling abroad, it took me over a year to finish. I imagined this book would be the first in my S-Gods series, but after publishing it, I decided I needed to go further back. At that time, I outlined Claimed by the Order as the first book in a trilogy that serves as a prequel to Siren’s Reckoning. So for anyone wishing to read the S-God’s series, I advise waiting for book two and three before reading Siren’s Reckoning.

-J. Johanis

AUTHOR BIO:
J. Johanis writes dark M/M fantasy and enjoys writing plots that are historical or myth-based.
You can find Johanis here:

Website: http://www.jjohanis.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjjohanis
Twitter: @JennaJohanis

Other books by J. Johanas:

Siren’s Reckoning (Operation El #1)

Upcoming:
Drago Star (Toy Soldier) – September 2015
Dream God (S-Gods #2) – November 2015

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Remy’s Painter (Werewolves of Manhattan book 2) by AC Katt

MLR Press Presents http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=ACKREMYS

ACK_Remys_PainterBlurb

Ian Sullivan is being chased by a mobster and has to come up with five thousand dollars he doesn’t have. His only hope is an estimate for a large house. Little does he know that the house belongs to a loup garou who just happens to be his mate.

Ian Sullivan is in trouble. His father and brother died because his brother gambled and owed money to a mobster. Now Sal Ferrara want to collect from him and if he doesn’t, he’ll take Ian as his boy toy instead. Ian’s only hope is getting a job from an estimate his father had outstanding for an seventy eight hundred square foot house. Little does Ian know that the house belongs to a Remy Clavier, a loup garou who meets Ian and knows he’s found his mate. Now all Remy has to do is take care of Sal Ferrara and convince Ian, a human, to accept both him and his wolf.

Review

Ian lost his father and brother to a gambling debt with a mob boss. Now he is doing his best to make the money needed to keep him from being essentially a sex slave for that same mob boss by continuing his father’s painting business.

Remy is the second most powerful werewolf in North America and finds his mate in the house painter whose come to do his newly purchased houses.

Remy is afraid to tell Ian his truths and Ian is afraid to trust someone so obviously out of his normal circle.

Eventually they must band together for Ian’s protection and slowly grow to love one another. They keep things chaste until Remy tells Ian of his true nature and claims him as his Mate.

**

I really liked the slow burn of this novel. The author does a lot to make the whole “insta-love” more palatable and sincere.

I liked the characters and found the story interesting.  I wish there was more about them being wolves, however.  Besides the rules and the mating bite there is absolutely nothing about being a werewolf in this story.

My main problem was the writing itself. It’s rather stiff and awkward, there are some grammatical mistakes and the dialog isn’t very believable. Everyone is entirely too self aware and they spend way too much time dissecting their feelings. There is a lot of telling and not much showing.

I think the creativity and storylines are great and with some improved editing future works could be outstanding.

3 of 5 hearts

3

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Unexpected Alpha (Lone Wolves Book 1) by Tielle St Clare

Amazon Presents http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Alpha-Lone-Wolves-Book-ebook/dp/B00T0GPV6I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436754926&sr=8-1&keywords=unexpected+alpha&pebp=1436754928209&perid=1N8GJPNQ0T7KVAN0Z70Y

unexpected AlphaBlurb

Rowan’s a patient man.

As a Lone Wolf, he lives outside of the Pack, but he’s been watching Craigh for almost a year, waiting for the right moment to stake his claim.

He’s not in any rush. If Craigh wants to act like a Top when really he’s a hot little Bottom Boy, that’s fine. Rowan knows the truth.

Until Craigh challenges the current Alpha. There is no way his sweet Omega will survive the fight.

But how can Rowan stop his future mate from dying when Craigh insists on being noble and doing the right thing?

Review

This is a quick read – some typical shifter stuff and some really, really hot sexy times.

Rowan is an Alpha, but a lone wolf. He’s got his eyes on an Omega who thinks he’s an Alpha (read a bottom who thinks he’s a top).

When Craigh challenges his evil Alpha for control of the pack and to wrest the pack from tyranny, Rowan knows he has to make his move. In a move that was a little Deus ex Machina, Rowan manages to take over the challenge thus saving his Omega, and saving the pack.

But… Craigh is really strong and ends up saving Rowan back – so it’s a great partnership.

I really enjoyed this – though there’s nothing too exciting or new here, but it was well written and a fun read.

It’s Free with Kindle Unlimited!

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Xavier (Gillham Pack #1) by Catherine Lievens

Extasy Books Presents
http://www.extasybooks.com/Xavier/

xavierBlurb

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.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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The Raven’s Flight by Catherine Lievens

GoodReads presents http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=276856

The-Ravens-Flight-Jutoh-200x300Blurb

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.

raven imageThis 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.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Johnnie Audiobook (Siphon #1) by Cardeno C Narrated by Greg Tremblay

The Romance Authors LLC Presents http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Johnnie-Audiobook/B010TCE1ZI/ref=a_search_c4_1_8_srTtl?qid=1436336185&sr=1-8

johnnie audioBlurb

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.

6 of 5 stars

amazing

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Shifter Tales by Anya Byrne

Anya Byrne Publishing Presents

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-mateofthecursedwolfprincegayromance-1814351-340.html

And

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-storytellerforasorrowfulbeastgayromance-1844324-340.html

mate cursedBlurb

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?

storytellerBlurb

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.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Orion’s Circle (Sirius Wolves Part One) by Victoria Sue

Dark Hollow Press Presents :  http://www.darkhollowspress.com/#!orions-circle/c1s5v

orionBlurb

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.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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The Downs by Kim Fielding

GoodReads Presents http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=276854

downsBlurb

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.

All in all a wonderful short story and FREE!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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