Release Blitz + Giveaway: Famine (The Four Horsemen Book #3) by Sienna Moreau

 

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Famine (The Four Horsemen Book #3) 

Author and Publisher: Sienna Moreau

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Release Date: August 25, 2022

Genre: Dark M/M Paranormal Romance

Tropes: Second chance, forbidden love, lovers to enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort

Length:  80,000 – 90,000 words 

Heat Rating: 3 - 4 flames  

It is not a standalone story. It is the third book in the series and must be read in order. 

This book does not end on a cliffhanger. It is a HFN as there is an overarching plotline that will conclude in book 4. 

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A fallen angel with a broken heart. The third horseman who rejected him. A love that can destroy them both.

Blurb

Punished for choosing love over faith, the Archangel of Kindness emerged from a century of confinement enshrined in darkness, a shell of his former self. Rejected by the very Being for whom he sold his soul, the last threads of his sanity were stripped away. He is now Lucifer, the King of Hell.

Famine’s choices have only ever caused suffering for those he loves. He struggles with guilt, blaming himself for what Lucifer has become. He’s certain keeping his distance is the only way he can ensure Lucifer falls no further.

But together or apart, on the same side or not, it doesn’t matter. They are forever bound, forced to endure a never-ending loop of anguish. Betrayed and surrounded by new threats, they find themselves relying on each other while battling their own demons. But soon a choice must be made: allow their love to destroy them both or embrace it before the world ends.

Famine is the third book in the Four Horsemen series. This book is not a standalone and must be read in order.

Content Warnings: Religious themes, extreme violence, gore, and others.

Arachnophobia warning: There is also a dog-sized pet spider named Paul who just wants to be loved.

This is a paranormal, second chance, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, MM romance filled with snark and morally questionable characters. It ends with a HFN and a mild plot cliffhanger.

Excerpt

Famine moved closer to Lucifer as though being drawn into his orbit. Lucifer wondered if it was a conscious movement or if it was instinct. It was instinct for him. Every fiber of him always wanted to be closer to Famine. He hoped—even knowing how moronic it was to hope after every hand he’d been dealt—that Famine felt the same. Lucifer needed him to. Needed him to want Lucifer with the same raw need that Lucifer wanted him. It had to be mutual. This much longing and anguish and palpable loss was too much for him to shoulder alone.

He savored any chance just to be in Famine’s presence—had summoned the Horsemen for no other purpose than just to see him again. The carnage of it was delectable, of course, but it was a pleasant bonus, not the aim. The mere minutes Lucifer spent with Famine between years apart was agony, but every waking moment was spent only in anticipation of them. Being this close to Famine and not touching was the worst torture he had ever endured.

He couldn’t be alone in this. He couldn’t. 

“These are only the start of the creatures that God has under his command,” Famine continued. “If he’s choosing to let these loose, there’s no telling what’s next.”

“No,” Lucifer said. They all turned to look at him, and he gave them a secretive closed-mouth smile. He did enjoy being the center of attention. And making them wait.

He closed the remaining distance between himself and Famine, pressing the tips of his fingers against Famine’s cheek. Famine’s light-blue eyes darkened, and the sight of them heated Lucifer’s blood and made lust curl in the depths of his stomach. He had never touched another after Famine, even after all this time. And he was starved for the kind of touch that only Famine could gift him. That Famine had been keeping from him.

“Sometimes,” he murmured, for Famine’s ears only, “I want to peel the skin from your bones, make you hurt and bleed the way you make me.”

The heat in Famine’s eyes didn’t diminish from the words. If anything, they darkened further, the pulse in his throat visible and tempting Lucifer to bite down, to taste. 

“It is never my intention to make you hurt.”

“You think intent matters?” Lucifer gripped Famine’s upper arm and tugged him closer until their breath mingled. “When I lie broken and bruised and aching for you, do you think I care about intent?” They would continue to hurt each other for eternity regardless of intent.

“Get your fucking hands off him,” War snarled.

Lucifer didn’t move, his eyes flicking to where War was pointing his sword at them. As though Lucifer was afraid of him. Lucifer feared no one. No one but Famine, who had the power to destroy him. Who already had, too many times to count.

Famine lifted a hand to placate his brother. “It’s fine.”

Uriel rolled his eyes and turned from them, surveying the area. “Tell us what you meant, Lucifer, or be on your way to do whatever it is you do when you have no purpose.”

Lucifer stroked Famine’s cheek and then moved up to lightly grasp the curls of his brown hair. He urged Famine forward and Famine followed, bending to him and resting his forehead on Lucifer’s shoulder. Lucifer’s insides wobbled, pleasure and joy singing in his veins at the instant, easy acceptance of his touch.

Lucifer breathed in deeply, his nose pressed against Famine’s hair. It smelled like blueberries, freshly mowed grass, and a hint of lemon.

About the Author

Sienna Moreau is a dark MM romance author who likes to let the darker side of life come out to play. If you’re looking for morally grey characters, snark, mayhem and steamy situations then you’re in the right place.

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Exodus 20:3 by Freydis Moon

Author Freydis Moon and IndiGo Marketing share new paranormal romantic suspense, Exodus 20:3! Read more and enter in the NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: Exodus 20:3

Author: Freydis Moon

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 02/01/2022

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 21800

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, PNR/fantasy, horror, romance, Latine, transgender, D/s power play, construction worker, angel, suspense

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Description

Religious eroticism and queer emancipation meet in a claustrophobic monster-romance about divinity, sexuality, and freedom.

When Diego López is guilted by his mother into taking a low-key construction job in New Mexico, he doesn’t expect to be the only helping hand at Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. But the church is abandoned, decrepit, and off the beaten path, and the only other person for miles is its handsome caretaker, Ariel Azevedo.

Together, Diego and Ariel refurbish the old church, sharing stories of their heritage, experiences, and desires. But as the long days turn into longer nights, Diego begins to see past Ariel’s human mirage and finds himself falling into lust—and maybe something else—with one of God’s first creations.

Excerpt

Exodus 20:3
Freydis Moon © 2022
All Rights Reserved

“You have the address. Go.”

Diego López gnawed his lip as he leaned against the rusted tailgate on his father’s busted Chevy.

He cradled his phone against his ear and tried to focus on his mother’s voice, exhausted and cold, rasping through the speaker. The gas station was quiet—nearly abandoned—but his attention darted to an oasis floating above the highway and a napkin tumbling across the empty lot. He pitched his shoulder upward to steady his phone and smacked a pack of Lucky Strikes against the heel of his palm.

“I can find a way to pay you back,” he said and pulled a cigarette free with his teeth. “I don’t need another handout, and I definitely don’t need to play carpenter at some bullshit church to—”

“Cállate,” his mother snapped. “You listen to me, mijo. You get in that truck, you drive to that church, and you make this right. No one put you behind the wheel of that car—my car—and no one put the… the drugs in your wallet, and no one—”

“I know.” He sucked smoke into his lungs and switched his phone from one ear to the other.

“This isn’t about the money. This is about honor—familia. You go, understand? Go, work, get paid, come home. Do your community service and fix your life. This man, this Ariel, he’s giving you a chance. Take it before he changes his mind and hires someone else.”

“Yeah, because every able-bodied worker in town is trippin’ over themselves to go rebuild a church in the middle of the desert, Mamá. Sure.”

“You made your choice. Go.”

He angled his mouth toward the sky. She wasn’t talking about his fourteen-hour stint in jail or the cash-bail she’d worked double shifts at the diner to pay for. She was talking about the sickle-shaped scars beneath his shirt, the choice he’d made three years ago—eighteen and able to say, Yes, do it. Same vague guilt trip, same acquiescence. You’re like a coyote, she’d said to him once. Halfway to a wolf but still something else. He thought about that as she breathed on the other end of the line and imagined her sitting in the recliner in his childhood home, rolling a slender joint, watching fútbol while a pork shoulder braised in the crockpot. Sometimes she tripped over his name, her tongue unused to making the sound, but when she’d met him at the door after he’d been released from El Paso Detention Center, she’d said Diego with her full voice. Cracked every syllable like a bone.

“Yeah, okay.” He sighed. “Do you want me to call?”

She huffed. “Eres mi sangre.”

He shook his head and finished his cigarette, then crushed it beneath his boot. “Sé.”

“Tomorrow, then. You’ll tell me about the church?”

“Sure, yeah. Tomorrow.”

“Drive safe,” she said.

Diego ended the call without saying goodbye. He stood with his thumbs tucked through his belt loops. Endured the heat. Watched the road. Pictured himself elsewhere, across the state, settling in Austin. He’d bartend to make ends meet. He’d never touch narcotics again. He’d rent a studio apartment, and fill it with houseplants, and learn how to cook. He’d send money to his abuela, and he’d visit her more, and he’d grow the fuck up. Becoming another disappointment on the López family tree wasn’t an option anymore.

It never had been, but stealing the car, crashing the car, getting caught… Yeah, that changed everything.

Early summer rippled through the dry air. He scanned his phone again, reading and rereading the address his mother had sent him—coordinates, actually—before he hoisted into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition. According to Google, Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was located in Luna County, New Mexico. He pulled his lip between his teeth again. Seven grand to help rebuild a decrepit church in the middle of the desert? Camming paid more. He’d found that out after getting hit with top-surgery bills. But now that his mother knew about the Vicodin, he certainly didn’t need her to know about the porn too. He manifested the future he’d imagined—bartending in Austin, visiting his grandmother, making pozole in his apartment—and drove toward a city called Sunshine.

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Meet the Author

Freydís Moon (they/them) is a biracial nonbinary writer and diviner. When they aren’t writing or divining, Freydís is usually trying their hand at a recommended recipe, practicing a new language, or browsing their local bookstore.

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Truth to Light by Eddie Newton

 

Author Eddie Newton and IndiGo Marketing host release blitz for urban fantasy, Truth to Light! Read more about the QUILTBAG fantasy and enter in the the $50 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: Truth to Light

Author: Eddie Newton

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 08/30/2021

Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 67000

Genre: , LGBTQIA+, action, adventure, angels, demons, magic, magic users

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Description

Sofía Hernandez has been looking for her truth all her life. She was adopted as a baby and never knew her birth parents. She was assigned male, and that wasn’t the truth either. So when she gets a phone call from someone offering to clear up the mysteries in her life, she starts on an adventure that leads to revelations she can hardly believe are true.

Sofía’s birth sister reaches out and reveals a world full of greater mysteries than Sofía ever could have imagined. A secret organization called the Illuminati created a universal lie about the population of Earth, concealing the true nature of the world. The Illuminati hides the real Wider World behind a magical glamour, concealing the existence of ghosts, aliens, monsters, angels, demons, and more.

Truth to Light is a novel that explores what it means to be true to yourself and what truth can mean to different people. Sofia is a transgender woman who must deal with changes both within and without. Her transformation will need to accommodate not only her own identity, but the very nature of the world around her.

Excerpt

Truth to Light
Eddie Newton © 2021
All Rights Reserved

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Vincent Prospero asked the trio of college kids in response to their drunken taunts concerning his anachronistic attire.

Vincent stood at the bottom of the hill in the middle of Ningúno Lane in Eden, Delaware. For the first time in three years, he was back. On a Saturday night, this part of Eden featured frat boys and sorority sisters stumbling between saloons up and down the neighborhood. There was not a sober undergrad in sight. Vincent had originally planned on walking past the partiers and straight up the street to the house on the top of the hill.

But the three inebriated instigators just had to make a comment on his top hat.

Vincent was tall and thin and dressed like Abraham Lincoln. He tipped off his top hat to reveal a mess of blond hair, which matched his wispy goatee and made him resemble a man featured on a circus advertisement from the nineteenth century. Vincent held the hat out for the college kids to inspect.

The brilliant grin of a small child bloomed on the face of the big jock in a football jersey, intoxication imitating innocence. He wore the number seventy-seven with the name “Murphy” above it. Murph put his two palms together and rubbed his hands like a miser surveying his millions.

“So that ‘splains the goofy getup,” Murph drooled, and a string of spittle connected his bottom lip to the pavement of Ningúno Lane. “I wanna see a maji-trig.”

“Me too,” said the girl beside Murph. His girl. Certainly, she was always a me-too.

“Yeah,” agreed the third wheel.

Magic was all about secrets. The trick worked because you did not know the truth. You couldn’t figure out the how. Vincent liked his secrets.

“Here,” Vincent said, handing his cane to the third wheel. “Hold this. Careful now, the magic is in there.”

The young man held the cane across his open palms as if cradling legendary Excalibur itself.

“Just a normal top hat. Nothing inside. Here, put your hand in.” Murph’s girl put her petite hand in halfway up her forearm. Nothing inside. “Empty. Agree?” She nodded. Vincent turned it around and spun it in his hands. “Look all around it. Nothing suspicious?” Three heads shook, all a little wobbly.

Vincent held out the hat and opened it upward. The sun hung over the rooftops of Eden, evening languidly exhaling the last light of day. Twilight blanketed the lane in cozy shadows, obscuring the interior of the top hat.

“Now, young man, tap the cane on the edge of the hat,” Vincent instructed the third wheel. The man raised one manicured eyebrow. “Nothing to fear, I assure you. Magic is only dangerous when it needs to be.” The third wheel took the end of the cane in his hand so gently he must have been imagining it was a tender lover who might scorn him if he handled her too roughly. “That’s right. Just a light rap. Very good, young man. Just that way.”

Vincent reached inside and fumbled around a bit. His arm went inside the same distance as the girl’s had when she checked the hat. Vincent made a show of pawing around for something inside, like an old lady searching for Tic Tacs at the bottom of her purse. Then he grinned, a showman’s expression, and his eyes popped open in dramatic flair.

Vincent pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

Murph and his girl oohed and aahed, swooning like teenage girls at a boy band concert. But the third wheel frowned, staring suspiciously at the white rodent. His nostrils flared as if he smelled something rotten about this whole thing.

“Lame,” he commented. “That is the same thing I’ve seen a hundred times. It’s the oldest trick in the book!”

“Oh, I don’t know if it is the oldest,” Vincent opined, “but it is tried and true. Not as flashy and loud as you young people prefer nowadays?”

“You only pulled a bunny out of a hat,” the third wheel sneered. “My gramma could have done that trick a hundred years ago.”

“You want to see something epic?” Vincent asked.

“Epic,” he agreed. “Yeah.”

“Me too,” said Murph’s girl. Again with the me-too.

Murph was too boozed to form a full response. He managed a clumsy nod.

Vincent let the bunny go, and it hopped down Ningúno Lane in the opposite direction of the hill. He twirled the hat in a theatrical flourish and held it out once again for the third wheel to tap with the cane. This time the undergrad knew his role. Tap tap tap.

“You may want to step back,” Vincent warned.

The trio of young drunkards took a step back on rubbery legs. Vincent reached into the hat. This time he pushed his arm farther into the opening. He smiled at the students, gave a wink. His arm went in even more. He pushed his tailored sleeve into the top hat all the way up to his shoulder. The girl’s eyes grew as big as a werewolf’s.

“Impossible,” she whispered.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Vincent answered.

Vincent yanked. Hard. The object in the hat was stubborn. It had slept for a thousand years, and waking was a ponderous endeavor. Vincent had the thing by the tail. With a final violent yank, he drew the contents of the hat out through the small orifice like an obstetrician pulling a newborn from the birth canal. This baby was as ugly as a troll and as angry as a poltergeist. As big as any beanstalk giant. Rearing a scaly head in rage, the dragon vomited fire into the twilit sky.

“Mama,” Murph managed to mumble before the dragon noticed the marinated morsel. It snapped its beak over the big football player. The dragon’s mouth was a kiln, and Murph melted in a matter of moments; boiling blood and liquified bones slid down the gullet.

Murph’s girl and the third wheel screamed like toddlers and turned to run for their lives. The dragon pivoted its head on a serpentine neck and scooped them up from the side and its jaws snapped shut on the main parts of the undergrads, leaving behind two rolling noggins and two pairs of trendy tennis shoes, the smoldering stumps of their feet included.

The half-dozen drunkards standing stunned along the street scattered, screaming. Vincent looked at the dragon beside him: wet scales glowed from the streetlights, intense eyes roamed the avenue for further prey, and smoke issued from flared nostrils. Demonic wings stretched and threatened to fly.

“Not yet,” Vincent told the creature. “We need to visit an old acquaintance. Afterward, there will be plenty more to eat.”

Vincent looked up Ningúno Lane to the house high on the hill.

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NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

Edward Newton lives in Florida and enjoys few things more than the beach. An accomplished author, he received the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the Best First Short Story. His previous works include Horrorfrost, a chilling tale, as well as several published short stories. Edward spent a year traveling the continental United States and found something intriguing everywhere he went—this country is an amazing and fascinating place. His heart is his family and he couldn’t do any of this without his wife Treina and his amazing kids Kobe, Gage, Oliver, and Bennett.

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Review: Christmas Prince (The Christmas Angel #7) by R.J. Scott

Prince Raphael, the youngest son of the Montaunoit royal family, is the custodian of his country's history. At a Sotheby's auction, he outbids Marc on an item he doesn't even want. Just because he can.

Meeting the museum curator turns Raphael's world upside down, and when lust turns to love he knows he has to change.

Can Marc be the one to show Raphael that he doesn't have to stay the lonely prince forever, and that love is always an option?

*******

This story is one of seven stories which can all be read and enjoyed in any order.

* * * * *

In 1750, a master woodcarver poured all his unrequited love, passion, and longing into his masterpiece—a gorgeous Christmas angel for his beloved’s tree. When the man he loved tossed the angel away without a second thought, a miracle happened. The angel was found by another who brought the woodcarver True Love.

Since then, the angel has been passed down, sold, lost and found, but its magic remains. Read the romances inspired by (and perhaps nudged along by) the Christmas Angel through the years. Whether it’s the 1880’s New York (Kim Fielding), the turn-of-the-century (Jordan L. Hawk), post World War II (L.A. Witt), Vietnam-era (N.R. Walker), the 1990’s (Anyta Sunday), 2018 Europe (RJ Scott), the Christmas Angel has a way of landing on the trees of lonely men who need it’s blessing for a very Merry Christmas and forever HEA.

Oh dear. I struggled big time with this one. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I found the characters very bland and their motivations poorly explained.

Prince Raphael comes across as self entitled and has a general lack of understanding of how normal people act. This isn't even my own opinion or Marc's, he comes across as this in his own thoughts. This in itself would be fine, that level of self awareness is great and there are stories full of 'rich guys becoming nice guys’, but Raphael is actually selfless and caring and spends much of his time cuddling children and shopping at markets with the ‘normal folk’. It just didn't add up. Then there's Marc with his career goals and jumping to conclusions and I don't know….I just didn't care about any of the characters and I think that was the problem.

The Angel also didn't fit in as well as the other book in this series I'd read. She seemed more like an afterthought and not a magical love guide.

Steam factor was also lacking. I'm not just talking about lack of sex, but when you need to read there's a connection when kissing someone instead of actually feeling it, there's a bit of a problem.

I know this doesn't sound promising, but I am giving 2 hearts because it's not terrible, it just wasn't for me.

A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Tag Team Review: Christmas Angel (The Christmas Angel #1) by Eli Easton

When John Trent, a dedicated member of the new Bow Street Runners, finds an exquisite carved angel floating in the Thames, he can’t stop thinking about it. He tracks down its creator, a sad and quiet young sculptor. But neither the angel nor the sculptor is done with John just yet. The blasted angel refuses to leave him be, behaving not at all like an inanimate object should.

Alec Allston is resigned to the fact that his love will ever be a river that flows out and never flows in. All he wanted to do was create a special gift so that a small part of himself could be with his unattainable and noble beloved, always. But when the gift keeps showing back up at his shop in the hands of a windblown and rugged thief-taker, Alec will need to reconsider his conviction that love is destined to remain an aethereal ideal.

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 4 Hearts

A perfect start to this historical series loosely tied by a magical Christmas angel!

See how it all begins with the angel’s creation as Alec pours his heartfelt emotions, desire, and love into making the figurine as a token to a man he can never have. What Alec doesn’t expect is to be rejected, only to have the discarded angel brought back to him by ruggedly handsome “lawman” John, who’s instantly intrigued and taken with the artist.

What ensues is really quite the endearing courting, culminating in Alec and John spending the holiday together solidifying their new love, something they never thought themselves worthy or able to have - all thanks to a persistent angel who wouldn’t let them pass each other by.

Overall, just a feel good, smexy lite, emotional and touching holiday romance!

Chelsea - 4.5 Hearts

Ah Eli Easton…. there is something magical about her Christmas stories and in this case it came in the form of romance and a mischievous angel.

This is my favourite of the series so far and it's the first if you're reading it in order.

Unrequited love really rather sucks and Alec has got a bad case of it. Alec is a very sweet, naive and innocent character. He fell in love young, gives his whole heart away and believes almost everything that is said to him. So living with this unrequited love has taken its toll on him and he's doomed himself to a life of loneliness and misery, that is until big brawny and incredibly sweet Bow Street runner John comes into his shop and life.

John is such a cool character, built like a brick house, tough as nails but so gentle and so sweet to all those he loves and he falls for Alec's pixie face almost immediately? Of course that's helped along by a magical angel/homo love guide.

The angel was great in this one, once again obvious in her appearances but never stole the limelight away from Alec and John.

These two take their time courting and falling in love, like most Eli Easton stories, then like most Eli Easton's stories there's a surprisingly super sexy sex scene which leaves you sweating.

Loved it!

I'll reread this one again at another Christmas time.

Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Tag Team Review: Summerfield's Angel (The Christmas Angel #2) by Kim Fielding

After the hard winter of 1888 ended Alby Boyle’s work as a Nebraska ranch hand, he returned to New York City in search of his long-lost family. His mother and brothers are nowhere to be found, however, and after Alby’s years of absence, Five Corners no longer feels like home. His prospects seem as dim as the nighttime alleys.

When Alby pauses to admire an angel ornament in a department store window’s Christmas display, he meets Xeno Varnham-Summerfield. Wealthy, handsome, and enthusiastic, Xeno brings Alby some temporary cheer. But for Alby to achieve his dreams of love and a real home, well, that may take a bit of holiday magic.

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 4 Hearts

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of MM historicals yet, but I am slowly coming around more this year and will say that this series thus far, has been quite enjoyable to my nervous nelly self.

Having read the first story and now this second one, I’ve concluded that this is pure fantasy where there’s simply no need to worry too much about bigotry and discovery and to really just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Here, the benevolent angel has set her eyes on Alby and Xeno, two men on complete opposite sides of the societal spectrum who keep bumping into each other and eventually, come to realize that their differences complement rather than contrast.

There is a good dose of angst regarding Alby's sad story as he returns to NYC in search of his family. Though he’s had it rough, he’s definitely a survivor in all the best ways. When Alby is hit with wondrous happiness by the charming and forwardly eccentric Xeno, he resigns himself to just enjoy the moments so he can have plenty of memories to warm himself with later. Of course though, his and Xeno’s guardian angel has something else in mind for the both of them and that doesn't involve them being apart.

This was smexy lite but still very sweet with a happy fairy-tale ending (plus epilogue!) that’s pretty implausible. However, I really wouldn’t want my holiday stories, especially historic ones, ending any differently, so cheers!!

Chelsea - 4 Hearts

Lovely start to my Christmas reading for this year.

I was so in the mood for some wild western romance and this booked ticked all those boxes beautifully. We have a cowboy, horses, railroads, an upper class store owner and dirty bawls near the saloon, but there is also Christmas and magic angels and men falling in love.

I felt the magic angel was very well integrated into this story, she most definitely was not an overwhelming part but her bursts of appearances worked well within the story and added a little extra character to those scenes.

I loved Xeno, I thought his character was so sweet. Xeno's bubbly and slightly eccentric; Alby balanced him out so well with his calm disposition. There's a bit of depth to Alby’s history and I was curious to see how his investigations into his past would work within the story but I was glad it didn't overshadow the romance.

Quite low steam, but not nothing and it worked well for this sort of character/relationship development and romance.

Very sweet and excellent happily ever after, especially given the time period.

Review copies were provided in exchange for honest opinions.

Review: Quenched in Blood (Asheville Arcana #3) by Ari McKay

Will love mean rebirth… or death?

Vampire Julian Schaden has been warning the Asheville Paranormal Council of an impending demonic incursion for more than two decades. Over the past two years, he and his friends have fought as hard as they can with little help, since Micah Carter, the demon hunter who should have led them, shirked his responsibility and then perished.

Desperate for anything that might aid the fight, Julian enters the Carter property and finds something he never dared hope for: young Thomas Carter, the heir to a long line of demon hunters.

Thomas knows nothing about the supernatural world. But the prospect of a real life, outside the sheltered, isolated farm where he grew up, calls to him, and the idea of fighting the Unholy feels right.

Julian agrees to train Thomas even as he struggles against an unexpected, unwanted attraction. Thomas is too young and innocent to get involved with Julian, but opposites attract, and this is one battle Julian seems fated to lose. A prophecy from a dying mage comes with a bleak warning: the upcoming battle will claim Thomas’s life. To keep his home and friends safe, Julian may have to sacrifice the only love he’s ever known.

I just want to say that I enjoyed this entire trilogy as it brought some nice twists to a community of supernaturals confronted with some very terrible evil and how they deal with such conflict while still finding love in the process!

This 3rd and final book focuses on vamp Julian, who’s made it his life mission to hunt demons. When he finds out that the local demon hunter (who was killed in the last book) has been secreting away a grandson who knows nothing of his heritage, Julian’s at once appalled but also relieved to have found such a potential powerful ally to help in the current fight against a seriously scary foe.

In turn, Thomas takes things in stride. He’s surprised about how life has been flipped upside down but what a wonderful discovery to realize he has a greater destiny and responsibility than just being a humble farmer. As Thomas learns his trade and gains more experience through Julian’s training, he obviously falls in love while shit gets real as the enemy closes in.

This had a sweet romance, and fans of virgins will certainly enjoy this. Of note, I personally felt this fell just a bit short through really no fault from Julian and Thomas. Their progression was plausible and reasonable but perhaps the lack of a mate bond set them apart from the other two couples in this series, and such a prolonged buildup in defeating the ultimate baddie was a tad anticlimactic regarding the conclusion.

However, be reassured that this was plenty sexy, with a good dash of gory violence, and neatly tied up the main story arc. Seeing as how Whimsy and Harlan from Forged in Fire were my favorites, Julian and Thomas also unfortunately had a tough act to follow, and it was an upward climb from the start.

Regardless, this was an overall enjoyable paranormal series that consistently delivered on all fronts!

Thank you to the authors/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Guest Review: Archangel's Assassin by Barbara Elsborg

He wants to forget

West is an archangel’s assassin delivering justice to supernatural creatures who break the law. Not a straightforward job because he also has to absorb the memories of those he kills. Even worse, West is breaking the law himself in an attempt to free his brother from hell. If he doesn’t succeed before his archangel boss finds out, West will be joining his sibling.

He wants to remember

A young guy wakes in a London park with his memories gone. He has no idea who he is, or where he comes from. A bracelet engraved with the single word Tao is the only clue to his identity. With no sign of his memory returning, he drifts into a life on the streets. Begging is his only way to survive.

Two worlds collide

When Tao returns West’s stolen wallet, West offers to buy him a coffee. Tao delights in the chance to sit down with a good-looking guy until his instincts tell him to run away. Fast. West is surprised when Tao flees, considering how much he’d been mentally urging him to stay. Is he losing his touch or is Tao more than a scruffy young man down on his luck?

Only one way to find out.

Reviewer: NeRdyWRYM

Twisted Mythos

Religion. Myths. Tom-ay-to, to-mah-to. I won't get into that argument here. What I will say is that this book twisted a lot of mainstream assumptions about the mythology that goes along with religion—i.e., angels and demons—and mish-mashed them up with common supernatural phenomenon and fae and gargoyles and all kinds of other fun stuff. And that's what this was: a dark but fun ride. Dark with a capital 'D' for sure.

These MCs, and Raphael's assassin in particular, were just so ... broken. Even the archangel wasn't immune to ennui and apathy in his virtual but necessary imprisonment. The individual plotlines for the MCs intertwined and enmeshed and spun out and spiraled up and down and all around until I wondered if either one of them would ever catch a freaking break!

In all reality, they never do catch a break ... at least not when you want them to or when you think they deserve it. Frankly, there are lots of little bits of horror interspersed with some moments that are truly beautiful.

I'm sure there are things I could have picked apart with the amalgamation of all of my favorite things paranormal/religious/pseudo-religioius, etc. all smooshed into one book, but honestly, I wasn't interested in trying. What I was raptly fascinated with was the journey the MCs were swept away in.

I absolutely loved this book. Yes, I even loved it when it made me want to scream. Repeatedly. I will be watching this author like a hawk for any M/M new releases from now on.

Take a chance on this one. It's dark, it's angsty, and it's soul-destroying here and there, but it's also fascinating, enthralling, interesting and beautiful. All of that wrapped up in one package ... why resist?

Highly recommended.

More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.

Review: Dancing on the Head of a Pin by Kiernan Kelly

2nd Edition 

When a demon saves an angel’s life, he wins the chance to stay out of Hell and walk the earthly plane until the End of Days. 

Cael wasn’t aware of the loophole when he spared the angel Malak, but he plans to exploit it. All he needs to do to earn his freedom is convince Malak to give up his virginity. Three thousand years should be plenty of time. But Malak isn’t interested—not in having sex with Cael and not in being exiled from Heaven as a result. 

Time is running out, and if Cael fails, his punishment will be unspeakable. With only days left, Malak realizes he can’t let that happen—not to the demon he’s come to love. 

But the End of Days is coming sooner than either anticipated. Lucifer has found a way to unleash the Four Horseman and end all existence. If Cael and Malak want to stay together, they need to seek out all four Horsemen and stop them from bringing about the Apocalypse. 

First Edition published by Torquere Press, 2007.

A demon and an angel are saving the world. With puns.

Let me just state for the record I didn't hate this. It's cutesy and quite frankly if it were a movie I'm almost positive it would be one of those movies that I avoid talking about so I don't give away how much I secretly like it. Like Clash of the Titans or Underworld.

The plot is far-fetched from the very beginning when we meet Malak and Cael who have been thrown together through a weird biblical by-law for close to three millennia. If Cael doesn't pop Malak's cherry by the end of the third millennia he goes directly to hell to become the fucktoy of Asmodai. Asmodai is... not cute and supposedly smells like death and rotten eggs got married in the back of a non-air conditioned VW bus in the middle of a August in Texas and then spent their month long honeymoon in the back banging the hell out of each other. Without showering.

Precisely.

I guess close to three millennia is long enough for Malak to play keep away with his V-card, though so lucky Cael is lucky!

Except... dun dun duuuuuuaaahhhh

Bummer

They decide to thwart the apocalypse by going after the four horsemen in between fucking. There was even some mid-air boning whilst flying. I'm still curious as to how Cael was able generate enough torque to get the job done, but it'll remain a mystery. Unfortunately.

These characters are one dimensional, cartoonish and have an unnerving propensity towards exclaiming. All these immortals who've been around since forever yet act like they're teens. Maybe immortals age differently? Even the love between Malak and Cael smacks of puppy love.

The writing style is one note with no depth and minimal world-building. There are some transparent, borderline preachy sociopolitical jibes usually at American greed and excess which maybe would've held more gravitas had the ones espousing them not been a bunch of jokers.

C'MON! 

It's told from both Malak and Cael's perspective, but I couldn't tell the difference between them and neither left an impression. Still, I don't think the point of this book was to be taken seriously. Like I said, had this been a movie with CGI and elaborate costumes I, in all likelihood, would be marking the blu-ray release date on my calendar. But reading it knowing the endgame was a foregone conclusion there wasn't enough to entertain me or for me to invest in.

I would only recommend this to those seeking a mindless romp.

A review copy was provided.

Find out more on Goodreads & Dreamspinner Press.

Review: In the Twist (The Wild Hunt #1) by L.A. Stockman

Twelve dead children. An ex-priest with the faith to move mountains. A hunter out of the depths of legend. Together, they must find a way to overcome their pasts and become something entirely new if they are to defeat an ancient evil.

David Shaughnessy was content in his life as a police detective in Armata, California. It lacked the visceral, sick thrill that came with exorcising demons, but it was better for him, saner. Until the night he got called out to a vicious murder in the woods, and met Dallan Jaeger. The older man and Interpol agent is much more than he seems to be, and their connection is immediate, powerful. Trust blooms quickly as they learn to work together to pursue the evil fae responsible for the murders.

They must learn to do more than trust each other if David is to fulfill his birthright and claim what was so long denied him. Only then do they have a hope of catching the killer…in the Twist.

Warning: There are also scenes of graphic violence, off-page abuse/torture of minors, off-page reference to sexual abuse of a minor.

Debut novella urban fantasy with a religious/mythology tinge, In the Twist, is the first in the Wild Hunt series. It's definitely a story that is not for everyone. Read the blurb. Still think you're ready?
The story begins with a gory start...a disemboweled junkie child kind of start. Still with me? There are triggers up the wazoo, potential readers are heavily warned. While the subjects are dark, the story isn't as dark as it seems. (Think light-ish DMC read)

If you don't mind viscera here and there.

Anyone, still here with me?

You are?

Great. :)

Irish ex-priest, now American detective David Shaughnessy is a damaged soul with so baggage he could probably run his own department store. He's fairly young but has lived a lifetime of pain, shares a home with a sister and houses unwanted orphans. He was an unwanted once. And was used and abused by those who he should have trusted.

Present day David can care for those in need but doesn't care about himself, he's scarred and tattooed. While on a case, he meets older and worldly Interpol agent Dallan Jaeger. Dallan and David see the world...differently. Together, they uncover the mundane and magic world, open a new way of life for David and meet the 'The Wild Hunt', a group of the world's best warriors of legend.

The first 30% was a struggle for me. In fact, it took me days to get through. It wasn't the subject matter (because this barely scratches my dark meter) but the POV is muddled. At one point eye colors changed from ice blue to green-grey. And I thought it disemboweling was going to be as good as it got. But something pushed me to keep reading.

And I'm glad I did.

After 30% or so, the story got less muddled and more interesting, especially the urban fantasy world, religious and historical undertones brushed through. There was action, magic, romance, horror and mystery. It might've also been the swords added in too. I'm a sucker for swords. There's more to Dallan, David and his family. I like the mythological/fantasy world created. And I enjoy anything with a hint of heaven/hell thrown in made interesting. I enjoyed the author's take on it (the hints the reader gets).

Bare bones, this story hits an appropriate checklist of romance: man meets man, they share interests and mutual attraction, fight said attraction while uncovering a mystery and falling for one another for a solid HFN.

Not bad, right? What's the difference from all the other urban fantasy romances? The Wild Hunt, for one. Picture international badass immortal warriors from the ages. The faeries in this book are evil. And there are dukedoms in Hell.

I thought all of that was cool.

But I have quibbles.

My main quibble with this novella is it could have been longer.

For someone with David's depth of damage, the rapid way he gets over his hangups for love? I want to buy it. I really do. But it takes time. His mental abuse is so ingrained, the hurt and pain were written so well (a bit too well in aspects) that I ached for him. We get novel length feelings and major declarations in a novella. And some really lovely words, that I normally flutter like glitter fairy to I really enjoy. But the time span the men spend together is days. It's not like we're talking normal human relationships here. I can turn a blind eye for fated mates (not the case here).

I liked the attraction between Dallan and David. The romance was nice when I overlook the muddle. Because the conversations that Dallan and David had, really had when trying to overcome the hardships of their past (namely the abused), oh...those were sweet. Like laying jewels on your damaged feet kind of sweet. I basked in some the words when the muddling lessened.

I especially liked the duke. I kind of wished there was elaboration on the backstory about that. The story slowly unfolds David's background and his kids. It's more about him than Dallan, though both men are equally interesting.

Worth a gander (those who can handle the subject matter)? I think so.

Underneath the weaker start, rapid insta-love, beginning POV confusion, there's a solid plot. And it's too soon to call, but there were hints of something in the prose. It reminded me of a few urban fantasy stories I used to read in the past underneath my quibbles. And I think that if the author finds a groove, explains plot points and keep the POV separate...this could be an urban fantasy series to watch.

I'll be back for book #2, Titan's Watch, see what else the author has up her sleeve especially for these characters.

For more info on Goodreads or NineStar Press

Author Bio

L.A. is a professional writer finally crossing over into fiction. She has a background in the Classics and Religious Studies, and those themes will come up again and again in her work. L.A. lives in Texas, has two incredible kids, and a varying number of rescue mutts. Reach out to her on Twitter; she’d love to hear from you!

Email: lethaswicker@gmail.com
Website: lastockman.wordpress.com
Twitter: @la_stockman
Facebook: facebook.com/LAStockman

Excerpt

L.A. Stockman © 2016

All Rights Reserved

Hanging in the tree, the boy’s body looked unreal. A forgotten Halloween decoration, the gore so over-the-top there was something almost cartoonish about it. Yes, David Shaughnessy thought, except for the smell. He wrapped his inadequate suit coat more tightly around his tall, lanky frame and stood in what he was already thinking of as “the viewing circle”—a ring of seemingly random detritus that formed a perfect vantage point from which to view the dead child.

His long-fingered, elegant hands were jammed unceremoniously into his pockets, twitching to make the gestures of faith that he was not entitled to perform. Dear God, if You have any love for the lost, take this child in Your arms. Forgive his petty, childish infractions and grant him Your most blessed peace.

That the boy was a runaway was obvious to him: David could see past the fetid, swollen ropes of intestines arranged in elaborate patterns in the branches, the odd way the tree itself seemed to have taken hold of slender arms in a wrap of branch and twist of vine that was not natural, but couldn’t really be man-made. There were needle tracks on those delicate arms, clothing that was tattered and torn, and a sweet, thin face just barely introduced to shaving beneath the rictus of pain and fear.

“How long have you lived here again?” The woman’s voice came from behind him, to the right toward the parked line of emergency vehicles. “And yet here you are, at oh-dark-whatever-the-fuck in the rain without a proper coat and boots. Shaughnessy, you’re fucking hopeless.”

“Ellen,” he responded quietly, without rancor. The older woman was just trying to help him, take him under her wing. She had a son not much younger than David. How to tell this ruthless pragmatist of a crime scene supervisor the truth? That standing in the cold rain, feeling it chill down to bone and marrow, was the most insignificant of penances, his discomfort a tiny drop of what this child must have felt. It was not right, that he was standing here, having avoided the same fate as the boy in the tree. “I was in such a hurry, I forgot again. Oh, please be careful of this ring. I’ll need it carefully documented.”

“Right,” Ellen said, tossing him a glare as she picked through the clearing with her sensibly attired team armed with flashlights until they found places to set up the harsh spotlights.

David stepped out of the ring and blinked. The scene became palpably less clear to him as the light of his pocket flashlight was swallowed by the rain and predawn darkness. The light didn’t quite reach to the boy in the tree, and all the details that were so distinct became dim in the distance. A shiver raced down his spine, and he knew it had little to do with the cold and damp. His hand went to the small intricate silver crucifix beneath what had once been a nicely pressed and starched dress shirt.

In the absence of that clarity, he was forced to move closer to the powerful stench, but he willed himself to put it away, to bear witness without blanching. It was the least he could do for this lost boy. The very, very least. An absent request brought a ladder over, and he leaned it somewhat haphazardly against the tree before clambering up it to look more closely.

The boy was no more than thirteen, perhaps fourteen and excruciatingly small for his age. David shined his light to the boy’s face and almost fell off the ladder. Amidst the filth and rain, the small features were composed: eyes carefully closed; face washed clean; wet, dirty hair raked back and some attempt made to untangle it, probably with fingers. There were flowers woven into his hair, flowers that smelled sweet this close, pure and white in the middle of this late-winter muck of rain.

Someone had tried to help.

David was still staring, processing what this could possibly mean, when a gruff, accented voice cut through the background noise of the crime scene team and coroners. He almost fell off the ladder again, but the owner of the voice steadied it with a foot braced against the bottom rung, driving it deeper into the soft earth. “Lad, you’re gonna end up on your arse if you’re not careful.”

“Um, thank you for that…astute…” There was no point in being rude, especially since the unidentified man was correct. “Yes, thank you.” David peered down at the man but couldn’t make out much thanks to the damnable mist and the man’s very weather-appropriate hat. He summoned his few shreds of dignity and climbed down the ladder to face the newcomer. The stranger was older, perhaps in his late forties, with the sort of face that was kind and predisposed to smiling. David found himself staring into warm, gray-green eyes, rapt, and the cold seemed to seep out of his bones.