Halym knows better than to trust humans. Even though he’s a dragon at the top of the magical food chain, he just can’t get any respect from humans–particularly not from a magician like Merrick Leigh, who has the audacity to steal Halym’s soul.
Merrick has good reasons for taking the dragon captive, though it leaves him holding the proverbial wolf by the ear. He wants to use Halym’s powerful magical abilities to work an important spell, but Halym has other plans. Something about this magician piques Halym’s curiosity and whets his sexual appetite. Once Halym gives chase, Merrick finds he doesn’t have the will or the wiles to fend off the dragon’s advances. Although the dragon is under Merrick’s control, Merrick realizes he’s not the one in charge…and he likes it that way.
But everything changes when Halym steals back his soul. Now that Halym is free to leave, he isn’t sure he wants to. Yet staying with Merrick means not only learning to trust humans, but becoming one.
Review
Merrick wants to find a way to return his lover to the land of the living and captures the most powerful magical creature in Europe to help, Halym the dragon.
Halym doesn’t want to help Merrick at first because he’s a lowly human and dragon’s are far superior, then he doesn’t want to help because he’s fallen for Merrick and doesn’t want to lose him to the past lover.
In a fit of selflessness Halym gives Merrick what he thinks he wants only to find out that you can’t go back in time, no matter how much you might want to.
**
This is a good book. The dialog is witty and the banter between Halym and Merrick is great. The magic and the mix of old and new world technology is fascinating.
I found the writing to be bulky at times, but mostly good. I never felt the connection that I wanted to between Merrick and Halym, the old lover took up more space than felt comfortable.
Overall I liked this book and would recommend it to lovers of dragons and magic.
In this the 6th and final installment of the Apishipa Creek Chronicles, we find out the fate of Rebel Marino, who in the last book was in a terrible accident, left to the ghosts of the past and the tenacity of his fiancé. This gripping look at the lives of all of the couples we have grown to love is a testament to hope, faith and endearing strength that they have found in each other and the friendship that holds them all together as they face maybe the hardest trials yet. Each of them come up against past demons and future fears as one of their own must stand against sickness and pain. Rebel, Jack, Lonnie, Travis, Binx, Nathan, Pappy, Sidney, Brandon, Joey, Andy and Lin as well as the people of the town of Apishipa Creek and the leather club Manacle band together to save a new love that none of them saw coming as well as fight the evil of the young men who left Rebel to die. Come once more to the town tucked in the mountains of Colorado and fall in love again…
Warning: This book contains BDSM and scenes of consensual sex between two or more men
Excerpt:
Lin set the phone down and slid his eyes over to Andy and Joey, who were sitting together on the bed reading a gay romance novel and laughing like kids. Andy was positively blushing and Joey was sporting wood, but still giggling like a girl. They were beautiful, they were special and they were his. He’d never felt so lucky before in his life and he’d had a very blessed life. Now he would have to hurt them with this news. Neither was terribly close to Rebel. They were only beginning to get to know the other subs besides Sid and Lonnie, but they were friends nonetheless and perhaps more importantly, they were other subs. That made him one of them and when one of their own was hurt or in any sort of pain, it seemed to affect them all.
“Boys?”
Joey looked up at Lin and immediately lost his smile. Smart Joey, he could read people well, but his sweet Andy was still grinning and said, “Daddy Lin, this is absurd and so sexy! You must read with us, yes?”
“Maybe later, baby. Come here to me, both of you.”
They slid off of the bed and walked over to him, Andy sensing his tone and sobering from his laughter. Joey took Andy’s hand and then took him from behind, holding him as he told Lin, “Tell us, Daddy Lin. Please, Sir.”
“Boys…There’s some bad news about Rebel.”
Joey tightened his grip on Andy. “His leg, Sir?”
“Yeah, Joe. The doctors told them a little while ago. Rebel’s not taking it well, of course. If either of you pray, this may be the time.”
“Raised Catholic, Daddy, I haven’t prayed in a long time, except to get you and Andy. I’ll go light a candle.”
Andy turned his head to Joey and asked, “Can we go with you?”
Lin answered, “Yeah, let’s leave this unpacking and head to St. Martin. We’ll swing by the hospital and then go to one of the churches there. Pappy might not be back yet.”
“They probably have a chapel,” Joey offered, and Lin nodded while he took them both into his arms.
They were surrounded by boxes, bags, and there was newspaper everywhere, but it was already home. They’d decided to take down some of Candace Perry’s colorful decorations to make the place their own, but the one wall would always hold the collage of rock and roll posters most of the men thought were signs from the great beyond that each of the couples who’d lived one time or another in that house were meant to be.
As they walked through the dining room, Lin’s eyes sought and found the one poster that started it all. Rebel Yell. Rebel…the nephew of the former, late owner. The one who’d come to Apishipa Creek to sell a house and move on as fast as he could before he’d met Jack Colton and had fallen in love. Where the story begins, Lin thought, is sometimes how it ends. Coming full circle.
Suddenly, as they all headed to Lin’s F150, he grew worried. If for some reason this drove a wedge between Rebel and Jack, if they parted ways for good, would that mean the rest of the relationships made there would be doomed as well?
It was superstitious nonsense, of course. Lin hadn’t believed there were any signs from the spirits or planned destiny for love lives. Still, that nagging worry carried him all the way to the hospital.
Hi I’m Rain and I write contemporary M/M romance some with a BDSM slant. My book Honky Tonk, is the first I am publishing but not the first I’ve written. I have a whole library full that are about to be rewritten and revamped a bit and published as well. Please enjoy my books and let me know what you think! Rain Carrington Author Web Page
About the author:
In her last incarnation, Shira was a professional opera singer, performing roles in such operas as “Tosca,” “i Pagliacci,” and “La Traviata,” among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.
Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 36’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.
Where to find the author:
Boone Walton has tried hard to create some distance between himself and his past. He’s invested in his new life, his New Orleans art gallery, and his friendship with Scott Wren. Things finally seem to be settling down to normal, and Boone couldn’t be happier.
Chef Scott Wren wants much more than normal with Boone. He wants to raise things to the next level, but Boone is terrified—and not because of the ghost in Scott’s apartment or Scott’s relatives. No, Boone’s past is about to pay him a visit, and the only thing that can get between Boone, Scott, and a hinky recipe for chocolate mousse found in a curious cookbook is the river of pain Boone had to swim across to get to this side of The Big Easy. There’s a secret behind the ingredients, though—one that might reveal the trust and love that have been missing from Boone’s life.
Review
Boone’s heart was broken years ago and he hasn’t let anyone in since. His buddy, Scott, captures his interest, but he’s a player and Boone can’t risk that kind of hurt again.
When it finally looks like the player might settle down, Boone realizes he can’t let Scott go to someone else and together they embark on the relationship both had been pining for, for years.
This is another wonderful Mary Calmes love story, full of clueless MCs, tough guys, friendship, laughter, well structured secondary characters and hot sex. Add to it the Yakuza, NOLA and some amazing chocolate mousse and you have Just Desserts!
Business tycoon Daniel Derenzo lives for his work until his dying father reminds him life is short. When Daniel starts to reevaluate his world, he experiences a startling revelation: He’s attracted to his business partner and best friend, Nick, even though Daniel always believed himself to be straight. In typical type-A fashion, Daniel dissects his newfound desires with the help of the experts at the Expanded Horizons sex clinic. He goes after Nick with the fierce determination that’s won him many a business deal.
Nick Ross was in love with Daniel years ago, when they were roommates in college. But Daniel was straight, and Nick patched his broken heart by marrying Marcia. Two kids and 14 years later, they go through the motions of their marriage like ships passing in the night. But Nick’s kids mean the world to him, and he’s afraid he’ll never get joint custody if they divorced. If he can trust his heart to an awakening Daniel, they all might find their way to a happily ever after.
Review
Daniel and Nick have been friends and business partners for years. One day – really from out of the blue – Daniel sees Nick as a potential lover. Daniel has never had feelings for a man before so he goes to see our favorite sex therapist who helps him to understand his feelings better. (This was one of the hottest and funniest scenes in the book!)
Once decided – after finding out his dad has a terminal disease – Daniel works hard to get Nick (who is still married to a woman) on board.
Nick’s wife, unfortunately, is not a nice woman and she has quite a bit of baggage. Luckily Daniel knows a PI who can help us figure out just what makes her tick.
Eventually the truth comes out about Daniel and Nick and Marcia and Nick and though it was hard – everyone ends up deliriously happy in the end.
**
Of course this was wonderful! Eli Easton is an amazing author! I loved Daniel’s character so much. He was both brash yet trepidatious and though Nick sometimes bugged the crap out of me – I loved them as a couple.
Audio
Tommy O’Brien did a nice job with the narration. He didn’t do very much with the voices but let the story tell itself.
In the year 1866, Sheriff Tobias Goldstein guards a small mining town in the Colorado territory with a cold and merciless hand. A rare rattlesnake shifter, he lives by a code and expecting others to do the same has kept the peace—until a nameless stranger wanders into town. Intrigued by the lone man, Tobias names him Angel Smith, and sensing he’s trustworthy, he deputizes Angel.
A guardian at heart, golden eagle shifter Angel protects the townspeople, but his dedication is to an ancient scroll capable of great destruction. For generations, Angel’s family protected the artifact with their lives. Now something has returned to hunt down the scroll. Forced to leave his tribe, Angel enjoys the quiet he’s found with Tobias, who hides a warm heart under his aloof exterior. Angel knows the quiet will not last and fears the battle on the horizon. But with Tobias at his back, Angel might stand a chance against his enemies.
Review
This is another historical tale, this time in the 1800s Colorado territory. As with the previous book we get more history of the scrolls and a new pair of lovers who are entrusted with their care.
I really like how MD Grimm incorporates the flashes of history with the bits of scroll history and intermingles it with a new (if not completely unique) love story.
In this case we have two men, one very stoic and one very kind, gentle character. Together they make a united whole and a great pair for protecting the scrolls.
Blurb
Book Nine of The Vampires in America Series
Kauai, Hawaii—tropical paradise, vibrant jungle, turquoise sea… and sensuous nights that hide vampires so powerful they can change the world.
Raphael—powerful, extraordinary, arrogant. He’s been eliminating rivals and gathering allies, determined not just to survive, but to demolish the Europeans who think they can steal what he’s worked for centuries to create. In a final bid to avert a war that seems inevitable, Raphael agrees to meet an enemy he knows of old. She is formidable, wily, and not to be trusted. But in his arrogance, Raphael believes he can foil whatever treachery she has brewing.
Cynthia Leighton—Raphael’s human mate, beautiful, smart, and deadly when threatened. She doesn’t trust anyone, much less a powerful vampire claiming to want peace. So while Raphael prepares to negotiate a treaty, Cyn is preparing for the inevitable double-cross that she knows is coming. Raphael worries about saving thousands of vampire lives. She only cares about one, and she will do anything to keep him alive and in her arms.
When Cyn is proven right, when it all falls apart and Raphael’s enemies draw on ancient magic to trap him, taking him away from Cyn and out of the war, it all falls to her—to find Raphael, to save the thousands of vampires who will die if she doesn’t succeed… and to kill every single being, human or vampire, who gets in her way.
Review
This is one of my favorite m/f romance writers and this series is amazing. In a nutshell we have a very, very tough Cyn mated to the uber-alpha Raphael, the most powerful Vampire in American and possibly in America. Throughout the series we have seen Raphael’s enemies fall as his allies have taken over the various parts of North America into Mexico and Canada as leaders, each time finding their own mates, always a powerful woman.
(In one case the woman was the vampire!)
What I love about DB Reynolds is that her women are tough but still feminine and the alphaness of the vampire does not require them to fold and quaver. The sex is really hot (and plentiful!) and the action is always exciting.
Cyn and Raphael have had several novellas and this is their second full length novel. Their relationship is not usually at question, but their safety is always at risk.
In this, the ninth book in the series, Raphael is facing off against the Europeans and has been taken captured by them. Cyn and the remaining vamps have to find him and rescue him and then defeat the evil vamps.
I love that each time Cyn and Raphael come together it’s like they’ve been apart for days. They are always so hot for each other, yet caring.
The final scene is an epic battle and victory for our team… but there’s the hint of the next phase to come…
Gothika: Volume Three
Beasts lurk in the shadows of wild and forgotten places and in the hearts and souls of men. They are the stuff of dreams and nightmares, but are they feral and savage, or just misunderstood? Creatures of myth and legend stalk these tales of dark desire and animal passions. Three men come face-to-face with such creatures and find they are much more than they seem. While there is danger, there might be unexpected benefits as well, if they can accept the impossible and dare to venture into the primordial regions where nature and the beasts still reign. Three acclaimed authors of gay romance explore the boundaries between man and beast and the place where their worlds overlap.
Isolationby Jamie Fessenden
When Sean’s marriage breaks up, he returns to his hometown, hoping to find the childhood friend who meant everything to him in his teens. He finds Jack living in a cabin, surrounded by the forest he always loved, and the two begin to tentatively repair their damaged relationship. But a large animal has been seen prowling around the edge of town, and soon Sean comes face-to-face with the beast. Jack insists the creature isn’t dangerous—it’s been coming around the cabin for years. It isn’t long, however, before Sean discovers a far more disturbing connection between his friend and the beast.
Transformationby Kim Fielding
After being caught in bed with another male student in 1886, Orris Spencer is declared an abomination by his wealthy father. Orris is promptly banished from their Fifth Avenue mansion and sent across the continent to Oregon. Now Orris must try to find a place for himself on his brother’s farm and figure out how to deal with life as a pioneer. When he’s called on to help protect the livestock from a predator, he’s not at all certain he’s up to the task. Then he meets Henry Bonn, a strange and intriguing man who lives in a cabin in the hills. Orris’s attraction to Henry may not be an abomination—but it may prove a greater danger than banishment.
The Black Dogby Eli Easton
Constable Hayden MacLairty is used to life being dull around the tiny hamlet of Laide on the north Scottish coast. They get occasional tourists, “monster hunters” interested in the local legend of the Black Dog, but Hayden thinks that’s only a myth. A rash of sheep killings, a murdered hiker, huge footprints, and sightings of the Black Dog force Hayden to rethink the matter. With the help of Simon Corto, a writer from New York doing research for a book about the Black Dog, Hayden tries to figure out why the enormous hound is reappearing. Hayden finds himself strongly attracted to another person for the first time in his life. But between the danger stalking the hills, Simon’s inevitable return to New York, and Hayden’s mother’s illness, true love may be more of a phantom than the Black Dog.
Reviews
All three of these stories are very dark but strive to leave us with a happy ending.
In Isoloation two former lovers are reunited but things have changed and the question remains as to what secrets can be told and how will they be handled.
I didn’t care for this story as much as the others – I wanted a more concrete ending to satisfy the romantic in me.
2 of 5 hearts
Transformation is an historical tale in Oregon (yay!) of farmers and hunters living in the wildneress. I loved the historical aspect of being gay in the 1800s and though I was sad by the decisions that separated the brothers (both sets) I loved the overall joy that Orris and Henry found together.
4 of 5 hearts
Black Dog was my favorite in this series. It was a fully fleshed out short story about a man who doesn’t know his own families secrets and when he finds out he has to make some tough decisions.
Eli is one of my all time favorite authors and this story is just as amazing as her longer stories.
To save his love he must face his monster and—worse—be nice to people.
Montag is a monster. He doesn’t know what sort of creature he would turn into if he ever let himself shift, but he knows it’s something predatory and lethal. He fights back the urge to shift every day of his life, and has never dared get close to anyone—not that they want him to. He can literally smell their fear.
Kevin’s not scared of monsters. He works for the SSU, the agency in charge of tracking shifters—particularly the dangerous ones. When he and his young niece are kidnapped by her scum-bucket dad, he’s grateful to be rescued by Montag, whose curmudgeonly defenses can’t hide the kind man beneath.
As they work together to protect Kevin’s niece, attraction sizzles between them. But their relationship may not survive if Montag learns who writes Kevin’s paycheck—or if Montag dares to confront the inner monster he hates and fears.
Warning: Contains a grouchy virgin shifter (and we mean virginal in all possible ways), a hero with a back pocket full of secrets, and a couple of jerks.
Review
In a unique world where Shifters must be tagged and identified by the government, but biogotry still runs rampant, Montag is a shifter in hiding. He’s a mechanic in a small town and he’s sort of keeping the peace by acting as an “enforcer” for the local criminal element when he meets/rescues Kevin.
Kevin is literally being held by his psychotic brother-in-law and his sister when Montag crashes in and saves the day.
There are a lot of secrets being held. Montag doesn’t want anyone to know what he is (and he’s not all that sure himself). Kevin doesn’t want Montag to know he knows about Shifters nor does he want him to know who he works for.
Everyone wants to keep Kevin’s niece safe from her psychotic father. Nobody wants the local law to know about Montag, and Kevin wants to keep his family under the radar as well.
There is an instant “mate” attraction between Montag and Kevin, and though Kevin would readily act on it, Montag fears the results.
Between keeping the humans safe from the perceived and real monsters, dodging the law, and going to the hospital, the relationship between Montag and Kevin builds.
Finally, with the help of Colt (who we met earlier in book 2), the two manage to cut through to the truth and find their own path towards a permanent relationship.
**
So – there are shifter novels that you can read through in a hour or two, their pattern so familiar that it’s almost just a change of names to keep the story “new” and there are shifter books where the previous “lore” is unique, different and detailed in such a way that anything short of a careful reading will leave the reader scratching her head.
This is the second. Summer Devon has given us a unique shifter lore in well-written prose with fantastic characters who draw you into the story and keep you turning pages. She has included some of the more common lore and blended it with a sort-of dystopian future to keep things fresh, yet grounded.
The romance and the story are both much darker than some of the more traditional shifter stories out there and the prose is more dense and definitely more complex. The focus is definitely more on the story and less on the sex, though there are some smexy times (With a virgin!).
I really enjoyed Summer’s character development and world building and though I was sometimes forced to re-read things to be clear about the whos and the whats, I really enjoyed this take on Shifters and will look to reading the previous two books and any future stories.
NYPD Detective Alec MacAidan has always been good with weird. After all, his life has been a string of the unexplainable. But when an injured man gives him cryptic clues, then turns to dust in front of him, Alec’s view on weird is changed forever.
Cronin, a vampire Elder, has spent the last thousand years waiting for Alec. He’d been told his fated one would be a man wielding a shield, but he didn’t expect him to be human, and he certainly didn’t expect that shield to be a police badge.
Both men, strong-willed and stubborn, are still learning how to cope with the push and pull of being fated, when fate throws them another curveball.
Rumors have spread quickly of turmoil in Egypt. Covens are fleeing with news of a vampire who has a talent like no other, hell-bent on unleashing the wrath of Death.
Alec and Cronin are thrown into a world of weird Alec cannot imagine. What he learned in school of ancient pharaohs and Egyptian gods was far from the truth. Instead, he finds out firsthand that history isn’t always what it seems.
Review
What a great new direction for a favorite author! NR Walker always delivers quality writing with well developed MCs and an entire cast of secondary characters that are three-dimensional and fully developed. I love paranormal books and I love NR Walker – so this was an excellent combination!
Since Alec and Cronin are fated lovers – another tick on my box of likes – we get to see the “insta-attraction” that makes vampire/shifter books so compelling.
In the nature of NR Walker books, I know that there will be more “lovey dovey” moments in the sequel – so I am holding off judging the overall “feels” for now.
Suffice it to say that this book sets up the back-story and puts our two MCs together and (I expect) book two will wrap up their love story and give us the ooey gooey happy ending I know NR Walker delivers.
Blurb
![EnlightenmentOfDaniel[The]AUDMED](https://i0.wp.com/kimichanexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EnlightenmentOfDanielTheAUDMED.jpg?ssl=1)
![SerpentandtheAngel[The]](https://i0.wp.com/kimichanexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SerpentandtheAngelThe.jpg?ssl=1)
