Release Blitz + Giveaway: Boi Bride (Treaty Brides #1) by Samantha Cayto

 

Author Samantha Cayto and Pride Publishing host today's release blitz for Boi Bride (Treaty Brides #1)! Find out more about the enemies to lovers romance and enter in the First Romance gift card giveaway!

Boi Bride by Samantha Cayto

Book 1 in the Treaty Brides series

General Release Date: 3rd June 2022

Word Count:  59,605
Book Length: NOVEL
Pages: 213

Genres:

ACTION AND ADVENTURE
ENEMIES TO LOVERS
EROTIC ROMANCE
GAY
GLBTQI
ROYALS

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Book Description

Being a bride is a state of mind, not of body.

The Kingdom of Moorcondia and the Marshlands have been warring for years. Now a treaty has been negotiated, but it needs to be sealed by a marriage between the ruling families. But the bride has bolted, leaving her brother, Taryn, to fill the role. There is nothing in the law of either country that says a bride has to be female.

Forced to dress in his sister’s gown and marry Soren, Taryn faces his fate with anger, resolve and frightening anticipation. While the Moorcondians are flexible in their sexuality, the Marshers are more prudish, plus Taryn has learned the hard lesson that an attraction to men is unnatural and wrong. His desire for Soren frightens him.

As a prince, Soren knows his duty and executes it without hesitation. As a widower, he looks forward to a new marriage, and his unexpected bride is very fetching. If only he can convince Taryn to put aside his fears and accept the pleasures of the marriage bed.

Taryn struggles to fill the role of a wife in the royal family, even as everyone else tries to adjust to the notion of a male bride. As the days pass, Soren comes to appreciate his bride more, and Taryn tries embrace his new role with enthusiasm instead of resignation. But politics is a treacherous place to navigate, putting their blossoming love in jeopardy.

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of dubious consent, homophobia and attempted suicide.

Excerpt

“I won’t do it!”

The slap was delivered with less force than typical. Taryn didn’t even try to avoid it. He’d learned long ago that any show of fear only fed his brother’s cruel streak. Nor did he back away as Hobart leaned into his face.

“You will do as you are told.” Flecks of spit flew from Hobart’s mouth, the smell of beer wafting on his breath. Fury showed in his expression, testament to how desperate he must be.

Taryn tried to maintain his resolve over this order being suddenly thrust upon him, even as he knew he had no control over his own fate. “I can’t marry that man.” It was hard to believe he had to even say those words.

“You can and you will. It’s the only way the treaty can go forward. If our sister hadn’t run away to the nunnery, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” Hobart’s gaze shifted to a spot somewhere in the distance, and his lip curled in a sneer. “She’d already taken her vows by the time I’d caught up to her.” He refocused his attention on Taryn. “A child of the chieftain has been promised to the Moorcondian prince. With Alissa gone, it’s down to you, as you are well past being a child.”

Taryn balled his hands in frustration. “My age is not the issue. He was promised a bride, not another man.”

Hobart huffed. “You do yourself too much credit. Truth be told, you’re more of a girl than Alissa ever was. Prettier, too.” His brother didn’t mean those words to be a compliment, and after years of such taunting, Taryn let them roll off his back.

“Tell that to the prince. You can’t hide my sex from him. He’ll see me for what I am even before he takes that frock off me.” He flung his arm in the direction of the maid who stood awkwardly with what should have been his sister’s wedding gown.

“Those fucking Moorcondians are a decadent lot. Men lie with each other all the time, I hear. The fuckers probably bed their horses, for all I know. And the wiseman has looked at their laws and ours. There is nothing that says a bride has to be female. I imagine the stupid princeling will find plowing your ass just as sweet as Alissa’s dried-up cunt—more so, likely. And I’m sure it’s a dream come true for you,” he added with a look of disgust.

Taryn again ignored the baiting and struggled to contain the tears that threatened to leak out. He was angry and scared in equal measure. The whole idea of his marrying the age-old enemy of his people was intolerable. He couldn’t blame his sister for seeking sanctuary from her fate. He was merely the unlucky victim of her self-preservation. She couldn’t have known what it would mean for him and probably wouldn’t have cared if she had. Their father hadn’t raised them to be generous with each other.

Taryn also had to admit that his brother was probably right about the Moorcondian prince. It was a very different society than his own—decadent, as Hobart had aptly put it. Their prince had ridden in with a colorful retinue and much fanfare. They were nothing like the earthier and frankly poor people of the Marshlands. Taryn couldn’t imagine how he was supposed to fit into such a world. Being the child of a Marsher chieftain mostly meant he had cleaner clothes and more to eat. His presence among the Moorcondians would be like a reed finch flitting around peacocks. If he’d been reviled by his own people, the Moorcondians would undoubtedly treat him with even more contempt.

This is so unfair! Railing against his fate out loud was worse than useless. If he put up any more of a fight, he’d be going to his own wedding with a black eye and split lip. Hobart was being restrained at the moment, likely so that Taryn would be as appealing to his groom as possible. Testing his brother’s patience would only end one way, however. He knew he was powerless in this, as with all other things. He’d learned to survive his family’s brutality, and he could cope with anything these foreigners threw at him. Besides, he’d heard that the opulent Moorcondian palace contained a vast library. If he were lucky, his new husband would give him the freedom to explore it.

That’s more like it. Finding some silver lining in any situation was what kept him sane. He would survive this misery as he had so many others. There was also some deep part of him that dared to be intrigued by the idea of being bedded by the prince, lending credence to Hobart’s taunt, though Taryn had snuffed that spark as soon as he’d become aware of it. Those kinds of thoughts weren’t to be tolerated. He didn’t want sex of any kind. Before Alissa had beat him to it, he’d been considering taking his own vows and living his life at the monastery. Anything would have been more appealing than living under the harsh judgment of his father and brother, plus he would have had time for scholarly pursuits. Now his future would be held by another powerful man—and one he knew nothing about.

There was no hope for it. Squaring his shoulders, he stared his brother down. “Very well. I will don that gown and greet my groom to be. If he rejects me, it won’t be my fault.”

Hobart’s expression turned as nasty as it got. “You’d better hope he doesn’t. The ceremony has already been delayed because you were off wasting the day away. If this treaty fails, I’ll stake you to the execution hill myself and revel in your slow death.”

His brother strode out of the tiny room Taryn had managed to call his own. Then he turned to the poor maid, who obviously wished she were anywhere else. He recognized the woman as the one who had served his sister. No doubt she was already frightened that she would be punished for her mistress’ escape. Certainly the guard who’d let her flee must have known tremendous regret the moment before Hobart had severed the man’s head from his neck. Taryn wouldn’t be the cause of trouble for her.

“Will that even fit me?” The pale green dress was trimmed with lace, luxurious for his people. But Anissa was a voluptuous woman. He lacked the essential shape to wear such a thing.

The maid gave him a shy smile. “I took it in this afternoon.”

So, others in our tribe knew my fate before I did. No surprise there. His father and brother treated him like a piece of furniture—and a useless one at that. It must have enraged them to realize that they needed him to seal the treaty, and bringing him into the discussion would never have occurred to them. He pushed back the hurt and took what little control he could. “I’ll need a quick bath.” He’d spent the day riding, mostly to stay clear of the Moorcondians, but he couldn’t go to his groom smelling like horse.

“Of course, sir. Leave it all to me.”

With his heart still lodged in his throat, and his stomach churning, he was happy for someone else to take command of the situation. The story of my life. I should never have been born to a powerful family.

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About the Author

Samantha Cayto

Samantha Cayto is a Boston-area native who practices as a business lawyer by day while writing erotic romance at night—the steamier the better. She likes to push the envelope when it comes to writing about passion and is delighted other women agree that guy-on-guy sex is the hottest ever.

She lives a typical suburban life with her husband, three kids and four dogs. Her children don't understand why they can't read what she writes, but her husband is always willing to lend her a hand—and anything else—when she needs to choreograph a scene.

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Review: Dark Money Love by Ace Fawn

Akira Kazama is a man that gets what he wants. A loan shark king affiliated with the yakuza, he practically runs the money game in Tokyo.

Sora Nakano wants to save his mother’s life. When he has no choice left but to take out a hefty loan for her medical bills, he becomes indebted to Akira.

For Akira, business is always strictly business. And when someone owes him money, he always collects. Except this time, he wants more than just money from Sora.

He wants his body.

They agree on an arrangement for Sora to pay off the debt, and it’s supposed to be a win-win situation for them both. But Sora never wanted to be involved with the dark, hidden side of Akira’s life, and when Sora is threatened, he must turn to Akira for help.

Will Sora save his mother and get out of this alive? Or will he spiral down the path of dark money love?

Dark Money Love is a dark m/m romance intended for mature readers only. This book contains explicit adult content, weapon use and graphic depictions of death. Reader discretion is advised.

A criminal falls in lust...and then love?

Dark Money Love is a novella about 35 year old loner loam shark Akira. He's affiliated with the yakuza and collects debt payments for them.The book literally starts off with a bang with Akira collecting from an older, desperate person. Someone is trying to get over on him and Akira seems to be apathetic. He looks through his victims and finds young, innocent Sora. He knows Sora has no way of repayment especially with the high interest fees so he plans on coercing Sora to pay with his body.

Major dubious consent going on in here, consider yourself warned. And there are BDSM elements as well. I hesitate to call it BDSM as there is no SSC or RACK agreements. :( 

 Poor Sora doesn't know what's going on a majority of the time, Akira just blurts out to pick a "safeword" and poor Sora was confuzzled. Sora is an innocent in every sense of the word. He has no home, no friends and no one to help him with his ill mother. 

We get glimpses of akira's world which seems interesting enough. Akira is kinda tsundere, he's cold but cares for just Sora, even from the beginning of their arrangement.  

The writing is competent, but it needed another edit. It's the little things that can irk my reading soul such as one character puts on a condom and then in the next paragraph he's cumming raw in his partner. Did the condom break? Vanish? Was there a switcheroo on his didgeridoo?

I think another 10-15 pages to flesh out the main characters would have gone a long way with helping Sora and Akira's burgeoning 'romance'. I hesitate to call their softer feelings for one another a romance because they didn't talk to each other as much. If they would have opened up more, I think I'd believe it more. I wanted to like this more. I'm on the fence because I like dark plots but I also like the writing to match the style it was going for.

Would I read more from the author? Maybe, if the plot is good enough. I dunno if this is previous fanfic or if the author is also a fanfic writer, but it read like it.

Blog Tour + Giveaway: The Offering by Rosary Deville

Author Rosary Deville and Gay Book Promotions visit on the final day for The Offering blog tour! Read more about the dark shifter paranormal and enter in the giveaway to win one of three $10 Amazon Gift Cards!

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: The Offering 

Author: Rosary Deville

Publisher: Self Published

Cover Artist: Zoe Perdita

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Genre/s: M/M dark erotica, taboo, mpreg, paranormal/urban romance,

shifter fantasy, werewolves

Trope/s: alphas and betas, strong/unruly protagonist

Themes: dubious/non consent. forced marriage, societal inequality,

abuse, violence, dom/sub, BDSM 

Heat Rating:  5 flames    

Length:  approx. 65 000 words/ 250 pages

It is Book 1 out of 2. Book 2 will be released later in 2021.

 

Buy Links - Available on Smashwords

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A beta in an oppressive werewolf society must participate in a mating ceremony where alphas hunt their future mates.

  

Blurb

As a beta in Wereduin society, Fern has no choice but to be mated when he comes of age. The ideal beta wereduin was subservient to their alpha, bears young, and knows their place in society.

Fern isn't like that.

Rather than become an extension of his alpha, Fern wants to play in his band, hang out with his friends, and stay himself.

Now of age, Fern is to be placed in the Offering—an annual ceremony where alphas hunt and claim their beta mates. And whose attention does Fern attract? None other than Donovan Blackfang, a Highborne alpha who will stop at nothing but to claim Fern’s heart, body, and soul.



Excerpt

Someone grabbed the nape of my neck. Shit, no! Why hadn’t I paid more attention to my surroundings?

This alpha male was stout and gray. His jagged claws dug into my shoulder, and it ripped a cry from my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another beta. This alpha must have been cornering her before I showed up. She didn’t look back at me as she made her escape. The alpha who had me could have come from my worst nightmares. He had a large scar across his eye. His thick, weather-worn hide told me he’d been at this game for a while. He could be my papa’s age, not that age mattered for werewolves, but his face was truly menacing. The glee I found in his glowing red eyes terrified me. Veins riddled his muscular physique. One of his ears had been chewed off. He gripped my shoulder, tearing my skin. I clawed at his hands, face, biting wherever I could as he forced me onto the ground.

I felt sure I was a goner when he was knocked off of me. Growling surrounded us. It was the large, black alpha that had taken on the slaver. He snarled at the alpha who had been about to rape me. Slowly, I crawled away on my hands and knees. That was when he turned his fangs on me, growling. He didn’t want me to leave, as if he already felt some ownership of me. Something in his eyes halted me and trapped my breath in my throat. I shook my head rapidly.

No!

There was no way I would be claimed tonight. And certainly not by a male. I took off running, leaving them to their fight.

It was over shockingly quick. The dark alpha won. My alpha. It confused me when I momentarily thought of him as mine. My body wanted to submit. Arousal grew heavy in my groin, heating up my body.

Hell, no!

Instincts be damned, I was not born so I could have some male alpha’s pups.

The black alpha picked up speed.

Just then, two alpha males sprang from either side of the woods. I ducked low, and they collided into each other. I dodged around them. The left one snatched me back before the alpha on the right knocked him to the ground.

Both alphas were beautiful—if I allowed myself to think something like that about the same sex. One was a scarlet red, while the other a golden bronze. Hopefully, the two would also stop the black alpha who still followed me, and I could make a getaway.

Both tried, not wanting to let a challenger slip by.

I dragged out a relieved sigh. Part of me was disappointed, and that part scared me. The rest of me was thankful. I didn’t want any of them to win—especially the strong dark alpha.

It was apparent by their beauty that all three alphas fighting over me were from the upper-class. But my eye was drawn to the dark one—jet black with those piercing neon-blue eyes and riddled, muscular physique. Of the three, he was the most handsome. Shaking my head and trying to remove those unwanted thoughts about the beautiful alphas fighting for me, I left them to battle.

When I heard them following me, I stole a glance over my shoulder. My heart stopped. Both the scarlet and golden-bronze alphas chased behind me. The dark werewolf must have been beaten. My heart sank. I wanted to slap myself. Why did I feel so let down?

I ran blindly through the forest and over the rocks until I backed myself against a cliff. Both werewolves approached me, snarling. I retreated as far as I could go before I drew my fangs. There was no way I was going down without a fight.

Perhaps they formed an alliance because they no longer fought each other. Instead, they homed in on me. Was I about to be claimed by two males?

How would they take me? I only had one opening. Would they both try to fit? My body trembled, but my beta brain started to submit. It craved having the alphas’ cocks inside me.

Backing away, I shook my head and crouched low. They sprang at me, but before they could touch me, a black shadow leaped from the cliff over my head. He landed in front of me.

There he is again!

The black alpha.

Gratitude overwhelmed me, and I could do nothing but stare at him. I wanted this alpha. I ached inside. Precum dripped from my hard cock. I wanted him inside of me.

Violently, I shook my head. No. I did not want to be claimed by anyone tonight. I found a small opening created by their fighting and snuck out. The black alpha growled at me, and I couldn’t stop my shiver. He wanted me to wait for him. He wanted me to let him claim me. Already, it felt like he had his claws around my heart.

 

  

About the Author 

Rosary is an author of erotica ranging from sweet and fluffy, to dark and taboo. She aims to foster a sex-positive experience for readers to indulge their fantasies in a fun and safe space. Sometimes she uses her writing to journey into the often hidden and taboo depths of human sexuality, and hopes readers will take away from her stories, not an acceptance of violence and sexual abuse, but rather a way to embrace their inner desires often shamed by society.

 

      

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Il Padrone (Vendetta #1) by Leigh Kenzie

Author Leigh Kenzie and Gay Book Promotions host today's blog tour stop for Il Padrone (Vendetta #1)! Dark Mafia reads your thing? Find out more and enter in the $15 Amazon gift card giveaway!

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Il Padrone (Vendetta Book 1)

Author: Leigh Kenzie

Cover Artist: Temptation Creations

Release Date: August 18, 2020

Genre/s: Dark MM

Trope/s: Dark MM Mafia, Stockholm Syndrome, Age gap

Themes: Mafia, Dub-con, Captive/Captor, Forced Submission

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: Approx. 44 500 words/ 190 pages

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Now that I own him, there’s no escape

Blurb

Allesandro
I’m Il Padrone, the Master of this Family, and Emilio will learn his place. I’ll bathe in his tears and watch as he humiliates himself. It’s all for my pleasure. I own it all and he’s just another addition to my collection.

Emilio
Il Padrone calls me his toy. His property. He says I can earn the right to be higher in his organization if only I submit. If only I change who I am. I may be younger, but he hasn’t seen the likes of me before.

Just how twisted can a tale of vengeance become?


Trigger Warnings: This is a dark MM Mafia with graphic violence and extreme sexual situations.

Book 1 of the Vendetta Series ends on a cliffhanger. Book 2 releases September 2020!



Excerpt (Allesandro POV):

I watch my servants scurry around to complete my orders as I get ready for my guest. I laugh mentally because he's definitely not going to feel like a guest. I'd care if I had a heart, but as most accuse me of, I don't. I'm greedy, and I know it.

The bedroom is two doors down from mine. It's a basic bedroom, freshly painted white. There's a bed in the middle and a closet with built-in hangers. A small bathroom is joined to the room, but there's no door. The toilet, sink, and cramped shower is barely enough to stave off claustrophobia. I'm sure he'll complain about the door—or the lack thereof—but really, I'm being nice considering the size. Most of the comforts my previous boy enjoyed have been removed. It takes time to earn those luxuries. I like to leave some rewards in the room like blankets, pillows, and even a limited amount of clothing. It's not out of kindness, really. It serves my purpose to give him things I can take away when he rebels as he learns his new role in life—and he will rebel.

I'm pleased with how everything is coming together. The room between us has already been fixed to my specifications—it's a place for me to play with my new acquisition. It's the one room that I wouldn't let the servants touch. It didn't need much anyway, but the cell is ready for any significant disobedience. I can't stop my evil grin because no matter how well I explain someone's new life to them, they always end up there. Thankfully, I have cameras in all three of the rooms, so I'll get to enjoy the show as he breaks, and as I mold him into my perfect boy.

As the servants leave, Luca walks in holding a file.

"I have all the information you requested," he notifies me with a disapproving look, barely able to meet my eyes.

"Give me the highlights."

"Name is Emilio, but he goes by Lio typically. Mother is deceased, father unknown. Interestingly, Cliff isn't his full brother, although I'm not sure if they're aware of that. It came from the blood work when the mother was in the hospital, and of course, I accessed Emilio's medical file. We already have Cliff's. Different fathers," he states tiredly. I'm sure he didn't sleep much as he worked to find out everything there possibly was to know about Emilio for me.

He pauses for a moment. I'm not sure why he's scowling now, but it could be due to my gleeful expression. Knowledge is power, and that's a good find I can use against Emilio. I try out Lio mentally, but I'm not sure how I feel about the nickname. It's not like he'll retain his name anyway, so I dismiss it.

"What else have you found?" I question, gesturing for him to finish.

"He's...different. Much different than your normal choices. He's a junior in college. Very young. He's only nineteen. Extremely intelligent. Everyone in the mathematics department I was able to speak to had glowing recommendations. He'll be the type to be missed. Aside from his high IQ, which testing shows is among the top percentile, he's rather oblivious about life. He's never dated, and nobody can figure out if he's gay, straight, or other. He's had both sexes flirt with him, but he didn’t respond. The professors can't decide if he's legitimately clueless about being flirted with or simply uninterested in sex," Luca stops briefly and shifts uncomfortably. "He's so young, with his whole life ahead of him and his disappearance won’t go unnoticed. After the last boy…”

Luca abruptly halts when he sees the fury on my face. He knows this is not his decision to make. I’m in charge, and it seems like my friend needs a reminder who is Il Padrone here.

“Everything you said increases my interest. I’ll enjoy making him my best boy ever. At least you’d better hope for that outcome. Because once he’s here, you’re going to be the one to cover his disappearance. Oh, and instead of giving him a life to go back to, I want you to completely ruin him. There will be nothing but ashes left when you’re done, correct? Because I know you’re worried about what I want and don’t really care about my new toy, right?” I end the last question with a deadly quiet voice that reinforces my position. I see his face go grey, and I’m satisfied I’ve made my point.

It’s too bad I had to do that, but it’s necessary. At least this means Lio is going nowhere, and when I’m bored, I’ll simply find a solution to take care of the problem. With a quick wave, I dismiss Luca and decide to recheck all three rooms. After all, I need it all perfect for the new property I’ve acquired. This time, I can’t stop the laugh from escaping. Really, I don’t even try. This is going to be perfect.

About the Author

Leigh is a dark M/M romance author from Texas with two needy terrors of terriers and a chaotic family. She considers coffee a major food group and her family fears broken coffeemakers. She writes in her spare time, forced to the keyboard by characters entirely too vocal in her opinion and often falls victim to plot monkeys. In between creating mayhem with her characters and friends, her hope is to transport readers to fictional places and provide darkness with a twist.

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Guest Review: Protected by Her Alphas (The Omega's Alphas #4) by Jayce Carter

It takes three alphas to bring this bratty omega to heel.

Emily Pitch, the spoiled heir to a massive fortune, is given a new security detail—three sexy, arrogant and infuriatingly dominant alphas. Emily is used to twisting men to her whims and being a brat—men usually only want her for what her family can give them.

However, these three alphas can’t be manipulated, threatened or annoyed into doing anything they don’t want to, and they regard her not as a prize or a meal-ticket, but as a woman they want.

Thrown into the trio’s company, Emily is forced to admit her growing feelings for them, and her yearning for more in her life. Can she create something real between her and the alphas, or will the dangers that chase them steal it away first?

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, attempted kidnapping, and implied coercion / dubious consent.

Reviewer: Shee Reader

First, this is a pretty quick read, and I was in the mood for exactly that today. There are times though, that a short story can leave me feeling a bit dissatisfied, and this was one of those.

There was no build up to the story at all, and I didn’t really care about Emily until quite far on in the book. I have no issue with erotic romance but the sex in this story felt a bit contrived. It was in a forest after a car smash and hiking for a day or so (in kitten heels), and all three alphas got down and literally dirty with this alluring omega. Maybe I’m being weird and failing to suspend reality for a romance but I didn’t like it!

For me the best bit of the book could have been much more emotive. When the old bodyguard arrives…I did like how Emily misread the situation. The reunion with the dad wasn’t emotional enough for me either. Maybe I’m just grumpy from my winter cold, but this was a disappointing read.

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour + Giveaway: By Way of Pain (Criminal Delights #11) by J.M. Dabney

Author J.M. Dabney and Vibrant Promotions visit with the By Way of Pain (Criminal Delights #11) blog tour today! Learn more about the dark romance and enter in the giveaway to win your very own eBook copy!

By Way of Pain

Criminal Delights Series, Book 11

J.M. Dabney

M/M Dark Romance

Release Date: 05.20.19

Blurb

Double lives were just the way it was for a man like me. By day I was a man with a reputation above reproach. Even assassins needed backup plans. For fifteen years, life was going without a hitch until I had to take out a witness. When it was time to kill him, beautiful eyes filled with fear urged me to do something else. Yet, in order to do that, I had to break him, and by way of pain, my captive would experience pleasure he'd never dreamed.

This book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance.

Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted.

Trigger Warnings: Title contains the following possible triggers. Humiliation, Violence, Master/slave elements, Male Chastity, Murder, Imprisonment, Dub-Con, and Brief Torture.

Universal Link: books2read.com/CriminalDelights-Pain

Excerpt

I laughed with her through snippets of conversation, my meal, and the dessert I splurged on so I could stay a few minutes longer. I was isolated and wouldn't deny it, yet I also didn't want to admit it to anyone. Feigning happiness was something I'd done for so long that I didn't know whether it was real or a figment of my imagination.

When I would walk inside the house, the lock clicking into place would have it all come back in blaring clarity. At least here or at work, I could pretend I wasn't alone. That someone would miss me if I didn't appear one day. Would they worry? Probably not. I'd be just another regular who disappeared—found another place to go for their meals or a new place to collect a paycheck.

Without an excuse to stay longer, I threw money on the counter to cover my meal and a generous tip. By the time I walked outside, the cool night breeze had blown away the smell of greasy spoon and strong coffee.

On occasion, I thought about testing my theory, just pack up and go away for a while. Only fear kept me from doing so. It wasn't about the unknown or what existed outside of the city, but the fear my disappearance would be nothing more than a momentary blip. A split-second thought of where was he now.

I hated being depressed. Hating knowing that I was that dispensable. A forgettable part of the scenery. I shoved my hands in the deep pant pockets, and my steps were slow as I strode back to my car. Home was only a five-minute ride, and I dreaded it so much. I wanted someone who would miss me, mourn me when I'm gone, and yet I knew I'd just be a vague and fading memory.

J.M. Dabney is a multi-genre author who writes mainly LGBT romance and fiction. They live with a constant diverse cast of characters in their head. No matter their size, shape, race, etc. J.M. lives for one purpose alone, and that’s to make sure they do them justice and give them the happily ever after they deserve. J.M. is dysfunction at its finest and they makes sure their characters are a beautiful kaleidoscope of crazy. There is nothing more they want from telling their stories than to show that no matter the package the characters come in or the damage their pasts have done, that love is love. That normal is never normal and sometimes the so-called broken can still be amazing.

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Review: Earth Fathers Are Weird by Lyn Gala

Captain Maxwell Davis and his entire unit scrambled to engage alien ships over Iowa. The aliens snatched him out of his destroyed jet before they continued on their interplanetary hot pursuit. Then they informed Max that Earth was too far outside regular shipping lanes to return him to his planet.

So Max ends up in an alien spaceport looking for work. To afford a ticket home he can either spend three hundred years working with linguists to improve the computer's questionable ability to translate English or he can take a job as a nanny for an unpopular alien. That way he can afford the ticket in four years. The problem is that the computer may have mistranslated the word "nanny" and there might be a reason an alien is willing to pay such a high fee.

Admittedly, Gala’s Claimings series is a top favorite. It’s smart, unique, definitely unlike anything I had read before, and the romance to it - while unconventional - was really really swoony. I cannot not compare this to it, and Claimings still takes top billing.


Full disclosure. This has many things that might not catch your fancy or maybe it will.


First and foremost are the tentacles - sooooo many tentacles.

There’s also mpreg - graphic details about implantation and delivery.

Throw in quasi dubious consent in regards to the aforementioned impregnating.

Don’t forget an alien MC that is not even humanoid - that book cover pretty much says it all.


This story is about Max and Rick and how they deal with a massive inability to mutually understand one another and the obvious snafu that results because of it. Slowly though, they learn more and more, they develop some pretty tight bonds, and ultimately, they make a family - and what an adorable family it is!! It was also about the evolution of Max’s situation and thus, his own personal expectations in finding love and acceptance and camaraderie and intimacy in the unlikeliest places, in the unlikeliest “person”.


Though this started out a bit rough, though this made me squirm due to all the tentacles and the stark physical differences between the two MC’s, it was still a rewarding story. For tentacle enthusiasts, this still had the smexy. This surprisingly had a great deal of suspense and action and thrill to it as well. At its center though, is all heart.


Overall, this delivered a story that was also smart, thought provoking, and introspective - mainly about us humans and our complex nature and where we fit in the universe. That’s where this shines and impresses, just like it did with Claimings and thus, I wouldn’t say no should Gala choose to give us more.

A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Watch Point by Cecilia Tan

Eric Sakai-Johnson joined the Navy SEALs to protect his country and the people he loves. After discharge, he finds himself relegated to protecting big pharma billionaire Aiden Milford from assassination attempts and kidnapping. Until Aiden reneges on a promise, fires Eric, and lets Eric’s mother die with millions of dollars in medical debt.

Now Eric is the kidnapper. Snatching Aiden’s twenty-two-year-old son, Chase, for a multi-million-dollar ransom is the only way to get justice. It’s time for Aiden to learn what it’s like when someone you love is at the mercy of forces beyond your control. Eric has it all planned out. The one thing he didn’t plan for is the intense erotic spark between him and Chase.

Chase has been chafing under his father’s autocratic control. A gay hookup app has been his only ticket to rebellion—to clandestine moments of freedom, excitement, and danger. Now it’s his ticket to a deep connection and amazing sex with his “captor.” On the rocky island where they’re sequestered, Chase finds Eric to be everything he wants in a man: quiet, strong, capable, and honorable . . . until he finds out he’s been captured for real.

In news that will shock exactly no one, I skimmed the blurb. I checked the tags and saw: dubious consent, BDSM, military, enemies to lovers and hate sex and...

REQUEST!
REEEEEEQUEST!!!
REEEQQQQQQUUUUUEEEESSSSSTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost immediately things went sideways, though. Most of those tags (IMO) should come with a "lite" disclaimer.

Check it. These two arrange to hook up through an app. Meet at a motel. Hit The Bone Zone right quick then the next thing I know Eric is sedating Chase while he's bound and asleep then takes him to another motel. I'm rubbing my hands together at the bad wrong at this point. Then the next thing I know Chase wakes up and is all, "I have to piss".

Wait, wut? *frantically flips pages back* *rereads* *finds zippity do da*

Come to find out, these two jokers arranged for some sort of capture fantasy hookup that Chase agreed to!

That's a good way to get your ass shot full o'holes, buddy. You ain't supposed to be complicit in the bad wrong! That inherently makes it less bad wrong.

NOT that I went into this expecting it to be realistic, because dub-con, but...

There is a slight caveat, but still.

All the people who do not do dub or non-con, this is the dub-con for you. This might be the fluffiest dub-con I've ever read. These two wend up on a tiny, uninhabited island in Maine (see above gif. again.) and settle into some sort of strange trainer/recruit routine that involves teaching survivalism, ramen and Dinty Moore dinners and whale watching?

My interest waned, then waned further when the "heavy kink" that was promised seemed to evaporate in the pink fluffy sex magik cloud. They like it rough(ish) but they more dance with kink than actually engage in it. That toy bag Chase brought along hardly gets touched. *pouts* It's very superficial with the "sirs" and "boys", a little D/s, some bondage, cock choking/breath play, some "force" play, but they mostly like to punch their tickets to Pound Town and are cum junkies. The sex is same same and not super titillating. I'm not even going to touch on why neither of these two thought having a safeword might be a good idea.

The whole guise of Eric pretending to have "captured" Chase when in actuality he's ransoming him for the cost of his deceased mother's medical bills is the fly in the ointment and begins to weigh on him once he realizes that he's falling for Chase. The trouble for me was twofold: (a) I wanted actual dub-con. If I'm led to believe there's going to be bad wrong then I want bad wrong to happen. Eric, it turns out, is more of a cupcake than I. (b) The "love" is rushed. I wouldn't categorize it as instalove but it's instalove adjacent. They spend a lot of time together, but there's no real relationship building, nothing substantive at least. Nothing that got my emotions involved. 

The resolution to all the "kidnapping" pegged my fluff-o-meter. I think the glass on it even cracked. What draws me to non/dub con is the redemption factor. The notion that someone capable of bad wrong, even heinous acts, can gain insight, accept the error of their ways and attempt to make amends appeals to me, but that got swept away in the fluff cloud.

HEA? HFN? Probably best to ask someone less cynical than I, though presumably, I'm to believe they're well on their way to forever-n-ever probably with some cute animated animals nipping at their heels too.

There is one definitely non-con scene (not between the MCs) that, honestly, didn't make sense to me; it seemed wholly incongruous to that character. I couldn't stop myself from thinking it an extra dose of craycraybenaynay in an already melodramatic conclusion.

So why not 1 heart?

The author obviously did some research on survival techniques and SEAL training and even though I think that focus would've been better spent on relationship development, I still respect the research.

Eric tells the whole story and his backstory is fairly well developed regarding his motivations. His flashbacks of his time with the SEALs and his relationship with his fire team confused me a bit, particularly with regard to consent, but truth be told, I'd read the stuffing out of that story. It sorta skirted the bad wrong line and what we got was hoooooooooooottttttttttt!!!

Lastly, 20% of the proceeds of this book go to the Russian LGBT Network. That's deserving of a star in and of itself.

Recommend to fluffsters.

A review copy was provided by NetGalley.

Guest Review: Saved: An Omegaverse Story (Breaking Free #1) by A.M. Arthur

He didn’t want an alpha to save him, but fate had other ideas…

Braun Etting was raised to know his place as an omega by his alpha father’s cruel words and fast fists, and he expects nothing but violence from the alpha who may one day mate him. His older brother Kell mated a cruel alpha who abuses him daily, and Braun is terrified of that seemingly inevitable future. When Braun’s father dies in a car crash, leaving Braun an orphan, he’s sent to a halfway house for omegas. But on his fourth night there, he witnesses a horrifying crime that sends him fleeing to the streets alone—and edging into his first heat.

Tarek Bloom is settled in his workaholic, single lifestyle, even if it is somewhat embarrassing to be a twenty-eight year-old unmated alpha. He enjoys his job as a constable, helping people and solving problems, so he isn’t prepared for his life to flip upside-down when he walks into his beta friend Dex’s apartment to help with “a problem.”

The problem turns out to be an unmated, nearly in-heat omega orphan who Dex and his husband rescued off the street last night. The even bigger problem is that Tarek feels the mating bond for this terrified omega immediately—and he’s pretty sure the omega feels it, too. But Braun hates alphas as a general rule, and no way is he giving in to the bond. All mating leads to is violence and suffering, so no thank you. But Tarek’s gentle kindness slips under Braun’s emotional shields, and Braun begins to want. To dream. All Braun has ever known is violent alphas, but Tarek is determined to make Braun trust him—and to trust in the idea of their happily ever after.

NOTE: This is a non-shifter Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens with few civil rights and almost no protections under the law. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

Reviewer: R *A Reader Obsessed*

It’s a cruel cruel world for omega’s in this particular universe, where they’re used and abused to be breeders for alphas to beget more alphas, having very little, if at all, basic human rights.

This is a non-shifter ABO story, and it starts off with Braun being sent to an omega halfway house after his father passes away, as he’s not deemed capable of taking care of himself, let alone have control over his own life. Perhaps fortuitously, Braun witnesses a terrible abuse on one of his fellow omegas which spurs him to escape, fearing that he too, will be up for such a horrible fate. Luckily, he comes across some kind betas who take him in and who happen to be bff’s with Tarek, a constable and rare alpha who’s a strong supporter of omega rights.

Immediately of course, Tarek and Braun realize that they’re potential bond mates, a situation that says they’re pheromone compatible, strongly urging them both to make it official. However, Braun has been brutalized by a cruel alpha father and doesn't trust any alphas, nor wants to be tied to one ever. It doesn't help either that his brother Kell, is mated to a monster whose constant cruelty is accepted with very little backlash. There’s no way in hell Braun is going to just blithely mate with the first alpha that sparks his interest. Tarek definitely has his work cut out for him to show he’s worthy, for it’s going to take a lot more than just pretty words and promises to win Braun over.

As a warning, this contains physical and emotional abuse, attempted rape, non MC rape, and dubious consent (but that’s typically the norm when it comes to most heat cycles). This was also way more than just a romance as it depicts a world where omegas (and betas to a smaller extent) are treated little better than slaves, and there’s some simmering dissent hopefully hinting at some big changes that are on the horizon.

So, in addition to heat cycles, uncontrollable urges with crazy pheromones running amuck, plus KNOTTING, this also had a decent plot regarding Braun and how he becomes empowered to make some much needed change to his life and that of his fellow omegas. This kinda sorta ends on a cliffhanger mostly regarding Braun’s poor abused brother. Be reassured that Braun and Tarek, after going through some tough relationship learning curves, are at a strong point, but the overall arc leaves us hanging. I enjoyed this and am definitely intrigued enough to see how this plays out when the next book arrives!


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

Review: fangjunkie27 (FangFinder #1) by Lyssa Dering

Shameless vampire addict Eli lives from vampire den to vampire den, securing invites via the vampire/human social network FangFinder. This weekend, he’s signed up for his most extreme adventure yet, a seventy-two-hour party where a contract serves as his voluntary consent to anything the den members decide to do to him.

Strong and silent type Orion is the only member of his den without fangs, a dhampir who wears metal points on two fingers so he can give the human guests what they crave. He uses parties like this one to keep the savage side of his nature in check. When his fellow den members suggest he claim Eli for the weekend, Orion agrees, since the little human is just Orion’s type.

Orion isn’t Eli’s type, though—or so Eli believes. But the pleasure he experiences in the dhampir’s hands is more intense than anything he’s felt with a vampire. Beneath Eli’s bratty nature are secret pains that fuel his addiction. Might Orion be a match for him sexually and emotionally?

fangjunkie27 is an erotic M/M novella with lots of angst, a bit of dubcon, and an HFN ending.

This was more than I thought it would be. I honestly thought this would be a PWP vampire-esque grindr style story with guys getting off with hot vampires and lots of biting page after page and yet, this was much more.

Let’s set the scene… Eli wants to get a fix of his fetish and that’s been bitten by a vampire. When he signs up for a “blanket consent” weekend at a vampire den he finds through his fang finder app, he thinks he will finally get what he needs.

Orion is a dhamphir, a half vampire/half human half breed who attends lives at the vampire den and participates in the parties to get what he needs, the chance to hunt a human and feel the warm rush of drinking blood. Orion lacks the super strength of a full vampire as well as the fangs, but doesn’t let the shortcomings stop him. Orion has fang rings he wears to bite and well, he likes being dominant with his humans, and it’s a good thing that Eli is one hell of a brat who needs his submission forced on him.

If you are a reader who is uncomfortable with dub-con, I will warn you it’s here. For me, I am cool with dub-con and liked how it was carried out so I had no problem with it.

So, like I said. Eli is a brat and acknowledges this trait about him to the point of not getting what he needed from BDSM clubs because no one wants to put up with a brat. Orion, he finds Eli a bit endearing and also hot AF because he gets off on making Eli do what he pretends he doesn’t want. Le Sigh.

The first encounter between the men was interesting and somewhat playful as we get both their POV’s throughout. We get Eli getting off on what Orion is doing even though he isn’t a full vampire and we get Orion who does give Eli an out even though he signed the contract… what are these two gonna do?

“You’re such a little shit.”
“Fuck you.”
“I prefer to top.”

Both men have more to them than the simple case of vampirism that is between them. Orion has hang-ups on not being good enough since he’s a half breed and it doesn’t help that while Eli obviously likes what Orion does to him, he repeatedly throws it in Orion’s’ face that he wants a real Vamp. And then we have Eli whose need for pain goes beyond the biting and to a darker place I wasn’t prepared for. When their first night together doesn’t go as planned, Orion gives Eli the option to leave but leaving is the last thing Eli wants to do… he just wants to be understood and get his fix.

Eil’s need to be bitten, the itch that he can’t scratch it’s his drug and his handle is truth, Eli is a junkie. It’s amazing how the story transforms from what you think is just a story about a human boy who has a vampire fetish when underneath, it’s a classic story of addition and Eli’s addiction to being bit by a vampire is his qualifier. The story progresses to give us a glimpse into the stress that has caused Eli’s addiction and it’s a tale of many who find release and peace in substance abuse. It became heartbreaking for me to read within Eli’s POV as he struggled with acceptance of his addiction and how he blamed Orion for not being able to take care of it. It’s always the blame of everyone else but the addict for their problem and this remained true even with vampires as the drug.

The other Vampires within the den were a nice addition to the story. With Ava and how she handles the humans to Ross and his knowledge of fang junkies and the ways to deal with them. I liked where the author took Eli and Orion throughout their weekend and am curious if the next installment will continue with them or a new couple. I would like to know how they are handling their choice and if it’s truly working for them.

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