Review: Club Raven series (#1-3) by Julia Talbot, Kiernan Kelly and BA Tortuga

Fantasy Living reviews the entire Club Raven series! American historical psychics here she comes!

Happy Medium (Club Raven #1) by Julia Talbot

Andrew is out to debunk Max as a medium, not make love to him...

A Club Raven Novel

Max Bellame is working his way through 1870s Baltimore as a medium, even if he knows nothing about spirits. He uses the power of his mind to move objects, convincing his clients he's the real thing.

Andrew Meechum works for Club Raven, a gentleman's club that doubles as a paranormal research facility. He sets out to debunk Max, only to be fascinated by the man. Can Andrew convince Max to take a chance on love, and to find his true calling as a medium, or will their personal demons force them apart?

Set in 1870’s Baltimore, the first book in the Club Raven series follows Max Bellame as his business as a Medium is intercepted by Andrew Meechum, who works for Club Raven.

Club Raven is a gentlemen’s club that caters to men with paranormal gifts. Andrew is sort of a psychic ability debunker. His own talent is knowing when someone is using a paranormal gift. This is why he has been following Max, but instead of simply calling Max out on his lack of Medium ability and trickery, he is intrigued by the perceived gift Max has, and brings him to Club Raven to find out more about it.

I liked these two men together. I found Max to be a pretty gentle character. While he wasn’t exactly honest about his ability, he still had a moral code of honor. They fit well together, and had lots and lots of sex. (Lots!).

The mystery surrounding Max’s gift, and the passion Andrew and he share opens up a whole new world, and life for Max. Club Raven seems to have an endless supply of weirdly gifted men to be in the company of, and I have to mention Giles, because I heart him so hard.

While only a secondary character, Giles was pretty fascinating, and someone I would love to get a story. He was one of those weirdo’s I absolutely needed to know more about. Completely outrageous, and apparently a reclusive scatterbrain, the interactions with him were a joy for me.

This isn’t overly heavy on the historical detail or language. It is easy enough to read if you’re someone like me who isn’t particularly excited about historical romance. It was enough to read as authentic in a way that isn’t pinned down by stuffy details. I don’t really care about those, as long as it feels real enough to me. For someone who is more of a history buff, well, I don’t know how they would feel about it, because like I said, details aren’t really important to me (unless they are wildly inaccurate and I know it).

Maybe I’m not the best person to recommend this story to die hard fans of historical romance, so I’ll just say, for people like me, this was fun with the seance, pompous rich folk, and erotic content (there was a lot - did I say that already?).

I would recommend this to people who enjoy paranormal in their historical romance.

Find Book #1 on Goodreads!

Wishful Thinking (Club Raven #2) by Kiernan Kelly

Sometimes doing the right thing requires otherworldly help.

A Club Raven Novel

Tony Brazzio, part-owner of Club Raven in Baltimore, is gifted with a psychic talent that allows him to influence the behavior of others. His first project, to rehabilitate hoodlums Bull and Dandy, fails when the lure of fat wallets ripe for the picking is too great for them to ignore. After Bull and Dandy fall into serious trouble beyond simple petty theft, Tony takes it upon himself to bail them out.

Charged with making a pair of blackmailing pickpockets “disappear,” Detective Thomas Arthur Clare is determined to get the job done. He doesn’t count on Tony’s interference, or his attraction to the mysterious, handsome man, to sway him.

This is book two in the Club Raven Trilogy and I would in no way call this a romance. It is definitely filled with erotic content though, so if this is okay with you, then go ahead and enjoy.

Told from multiple points of view, and sometimes what appeared to be omniscient POV this story jumps around a fair bit.

In the beginning we meet Tony who is a part-owner of Club Raven, but was once from a poor family. Tony wants to prove that bloodline does not make a gentleman, and that anyone, no matter how poor, can become someone if given the opportunity. He travels to Five Point, Manhattan, where his humble beginnings began, and finds a pair of thieves and compels them to come back to Baltimore with him to start his experiment of turning them into gentlemen.

Of course, Dandy and Bull don’t particularly want to be controlled by some rich snot, so they go out of their way to sabotage the situation by stealing wherever they can. Tony may have compelled them to join him using his gift, but once they are there, they are unwilling to continue to do his bidding.

There was a lot of problematic content, and it just didn’t seem to have a solid plot line. I spend more time reading about Dandy and Bull, and their mischief than Tony. While the basics of each personality was provided, I didn’t feel connected with any of them.

I think if it hadn’t have deviated so far from the original story line, by introducing what appeared to be an endless cast of side characters who got their own POV, and more focus and attention was given to Tony, the club, and the supernatural, this would have been a tighter story.

I wasn’t particularly engaged with the story, and the supernatural element of Club Raven, which made it a fascinating club in the first book, was sort of lost.

There is some light BDSM content, so if you’re looking for historical BDSM erotica then this would be something that may suit your tastes.

Find Book #2 on Goodreads!

Calling His Bluff (Club Raven #3) by BA Tortuga

Patrick's loss is Remy's gain.

A Club Raven Novel

After his twin dies in battle, it’s Patrick Daniels’ duty to marry his brother’s fiancée. Too bad he can’t make himself do it, and in his distress, he manifests a psychic talent that’s stronger than the tornadoes in his native East Texas. Then a mysterious man from a place called Club Raven steps in and sweeps Patrick off to the booming East Coast city of Baltimore.

Club Raven veteran Remy Blanchard sees Patrick and knows, even though Patrick is very ill, that this is the challenge he’s been waiting for. He nurses Patrick back to health, and begins to teach Patrick to control his talent. His methods might be unconventional, and Patrick might be new to the kinds of sexual games Remy knows best, but the two of them find something in each other that might be just as magical as the gentleman’s club where they meet.

Patrick is an anomaly. After a head injury caused by a bullet on the battlefield, he seems to have developed telekinetic abilities that he is unwilling to connect to and which are wildly untamed. Finding himself at Club Raven, in the clutches of Remy, whom is anything but shy about his desire, is causing feelings Patrick has been taught is a sin, but the comfort he gets is something he longs for.

This was the sweetest. I really loved Patrick and the way he connected with Remy. Remy is equally charming, and exactly what Patrick needs to help him harness his powers. This story really brought together the mystery of the club, and familiar characters from book one, and dove into a deep, equally gratifying relationship between these two men.

This story appears to be set before Happy Medium. Max doesn’t appear in this book, but Andrew makes a small appearance. Other characters are present and accounted for. A small cameo of Giles (Giles!!!) and Samuel and Joseph, who have a brief appearance in the first book get more time in this one. I found that they are all richly unique, and well developed for the small amount of time they have on the page.

The feeling I got from the beginning of this story was a sense of magic and wonder. Patrick is, of course, in a pretty fragile state when he is brought to Club Raven for care, so from his point of view things are fuzzy and time disappears. This is really well portrayed by the author. There wasn’t any real time jump, as we switch to Remy’s POV to fill in the blanks, but the feeling came across in those moments strongly.

This is a D/s story, focused on sexual service from the submissive. Patrick is also a virgin, and was raised in a strictly religious household, so Remy has to take more care to introduce these elements. I thought the pace worked really well. Remy used submission as a focus to help Patrick control his telekinesis. He did things slowly, and allowed Patrick the room to get used to his own needs and wants before taking it up a notch. There is no real punishment in this story. It is mostly about praise and positive reinforcement, which is needed for Patrick, who is recovering from trauma and needs a solid foundation.

As always, this author makes me happy with her writing. I’m usually all over the contemporary western stories B.A. Tortuga writes, and this was a nice opportunity to see this author’s talent in other genres.

The erotica in this story is delicious, prevocative, and engaging. There is a fair bit of it, so readers who prefer there sexy stories on the sex-lite side may find this to be too much.

I would have liked a little more with discovering what Patrick can do, and I’m disappointed we weren’t given more background on Remy, and his talent, but since this is a romance, and is heavy on the sex, I’ll have to make do. There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding Club Raven, and I think it definitely has room for continuation with more authors or the current author trio to expand and fill in.

Recommended to readers of Historical Paranormal and fans of BDSM D/s and erotica.

Find Book #3 on Goodreads!

All copies provided for an honest review via IndiGo Marketing

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: Midnight Rodeo: Belonging (Midnight Rodeo #2) Anthology

What happens when rodeos start to get too tough for humans to compete in? Midnight Rodeo, of course, where supernatural creatures work for the prize money, and for the awe of their audience.

Light a Rocket by Julia Talbot
Rocket is probably the worst rider in Darque and Knight rodeo. This cheetah shifter is fast, but he only has so many lives in his cat body, and he spends more time injured than not. Raven Walkingman is the number one cowboy, at the top of his game. The two seem an unlikely match, but Raven enjoys doing things no one expects him to, including Rocket. Raven likes his relationships casual and when Rocket starts talking mates as shifters do, Raven pulls up the stakes. He has his animal spirit guides, his good friends, and his fancy trailer. He doesn't need a ragtag cheetah falling for. His spirit guides know better. They adore Rocket and are more than happy to support him, and abandon Raven, until the stubborn fool does the right thing. 

Freaked Out by Kiernan Kelly
Gargoyle-shifter Killian has spent his life living and working with all different sorts of supernatural folk, but because he had three forms instead of two like most other shifters, he feels like a freak. His habit of minding his own business has been his shield against being hurt, and to aid in that endeavor, he's adopted a stony personality. When a troupe of sideshow performers are hired by Darque and Knight to augment the rodeo, he's forced to redefine his ideas of what constitutes beauty and what defines a freak. Meanwhile, the hard, protective shell he's erected around his heart threatens to crack wide open under the tender touch of Micah, the sideshow's hideous Snake Man.

Tails and Whiskers by BA Tortuga
Tiger shifter Dmitri loves the rodeo. Darque and Knight has become his home, and he adores all of his new friends. His past as a circus animal makes him hate injustice, so when he meets a trick rider and fox shifter, Dmitri is appalled to find that the hot little kit isn't allowed inside the rodeo unless he's working In fact, none of the entertainers are allowed in, all being contractors and thus bound to a greedy goblin. As Dmitri and Isaac fall in love, they find growing dissatisfaction with the status quo, and they go to their friends for support in forcing a policy change. Too bad there's a certain goblin who doesn't want to give up control of his workers. Can Dmitri and Isaac find a way to be together, and to make a change for the better of everyone at D&K?

Midnight Rodeo Belonging is the second in the series set in the shifter world of the Midnight Rodeo. I actually hadn’t read the first in the series, Midnight Rodeo: Homecoming when I snatched this one up for review, and you really don’t have to, but now, after reading Belonging, I want to. While the first book is more focused on the key players in the Darque and Knight Midnight Rodeo world, this installment looks at the characters who, may not draw the crowds and sell the tickets that the riders and main performers do, they are just as integral to the running of the show. What I really appreciated about the three stories was the uniqueness of the characters. These aren’t just wolf and bear shifters, these stories have spiritwalkers, foxes, all kinds of kitties, vampires, demons, and my personal favorite, a gargoyle (insert purring sounds here).


Light a Rocket by Julia Talbot 
Remember how I said the Midnight Rodeo: Belonging is about the secondary characters at the rodeo? I lied just a smidge. Light a Rocket has a major player as an MC, Raven, the King of the Cowboys and a spiritwalker. Firstly, how cool is a freakin’ spiritwalker? So freakin’ cool! Raven is kind of like a shifter who doesn’t shift, but he does have the souls of spirit animals that he can call upon to help him, guide him, etc. Rocket is a cheetah shifter who is a terrible bull rider, but he’s determined to make it on his own no matter how hungry he gets and how many injuries he sustains. Raven is attracted to Rocket, but in a ‘convenient, hot-piece-of-ass’ kind of way at first and Rocket is star struck by the King of the Cowboys.

At first I was not real fond of Raven. Sure, he was cool and what not, he offered some help to Rocket when he needed it, but it was not for altruistic reasons, it was for boner reasons. His sense of entitlement was a little off putting and I think to me it was annoying because I really liked and respected Rocket. BUT, Raven has his redemption when he sees Rocket for the strong and truly heroic character he is. While Rocket spent a good portion of the story trying to be worthy of Raven, Raven’s spirit animals put Raven in his place and taught him humility in a clever and meaningful way. The author did a great job of resolving Raven and Rocket’s relationship in a way that gave them equality regardless of how the story started in a really believable way.

Freaked Out by Kiernan Kelly 
Soooo, GARGOYLES. I’m going to take a moment to say, there are not enough gargoyle characters out there. You don’t get much more protective than a gargoyle so they make great fiercely defensive MC’s, plus they can have that whole, rugged hot-ugly thing going on that I love. So, more gargoyles ok? Okthanksbye.

Soooo, Kiernan Kelly wrote a story where a gargoyle, Killian, was one of the MC’s and I was smitten from the beginning. Gargoyles are interesting shifters in this one because they have three forms rather than two, human, gargoyle and stone. When a gargoyle is in a stone state it’s like he’s sleeping, but he can be vulnerable then and when a character is as protective and strong as a gargoyle AND has a vulnerable side too, it makes him even more appealing to me.

Darque and Knight have contracted a traveling ‘freak show’ to add to the entertainment value of the Midnight Rodeo. Killian is uncomfortable with the whole idea from the beginning, the thought of objectifying other paranormal characters does not set well with him. When he goes to inspect the tent he’s met with an extremely defensive manager and a man/snake hybrid, Micah, who looks as if he’s been caught and stuck in mid shift. Killian investigates further, gets to know the folks under the tent and makes it his mission to release them from the oppressive and abusive manager Emmet.

Micah is not what he seems and there’s a bit of a sci-fi element introduced to explain his situation and why he’s stuck in this limbo. Emmet abuses Micah terribly, but Micah is still has a good heart and will do anything to divert Emmet’s abuse away from his friends under the tent. Killian’s gargoyle is having none of that nonsense and takes on Emmet to save Micah and the others. There’s an epic good vs evil battle and a resolution that was hopeful and sweet. It was a little quick compared to all the build-up, but was still satisfying.

Tales and Whiskers by B.A. Tortuga 
Tales and Whiskers is the story of Dmitri, a tiger shifter that, along with his feline friends, feed all of the Rodeo folks. He’s a former circus animal who was terribly abused and is so thankful for his lot in life now. His English isn’t the best, but his grasp of what’s important makes him a favorite character. His large size is rivaled only by his large heart. The circus has contracted with another entertainment group and one of the acts is an acrobatic troupe of fox shifters that Dmitri quickly becomes smitten with, especially little Isaac.

These two are adorable together and go straight to the insta lust on it’s way to insta love. For some reason it really worked for them, I think it was Dmitri’s straightforward personality and appreciation for the good things that come his way. He’s not going to waste his time with angst when he can get all up in a sexy little fox shifter that he really likes. You have to respect that.

This story has a similar vein to it as Freaked Out in that the manager of the troupe of entertainers is oppressive and abusive to his acts. It wasn’t at all like rereading the same story, it was just a similar theme that just made me want to tell Darque and Knight that they really start needing to run some background checks. Dmitri rounds up the troops and goes after the evil in order to free his fox and all the others and it was pretty cool how they all rallied together for what they believed was right and needed to happen for these characters to be able to get their HEA’s one day too. There are a lot of personalities that would be great for future episodes of the Midnight Rodeo. Isaac has himself a lot of brothers who need to find their mates too.


While the stories all have the “need” and stunted sentence thing that many shifter stories do. Those familiar with the shifter genre know what I’m talking about. Where the word ‘need’ almost turns into a noun with how it’s used. You know when the heat turns up and one character gets a case of the “needs”. “He felt almost blind with need” and “hot drops of liquid need”. Then the stilted sentences, “Silly kit. His silly cheetah.” Y’all know what I mean. But, it worked for the feel of the stories, these were horny, otherworldly cowboys and such looking for their mates (or stumbling on them as the case may have been for a couple of them).

The Midnight Rodeo is a really fun shifter diversion with a unique take with writers that obviously complement one another well. They were different enough from one another to keep me curious as to what would be coming next, yet familiar enough to keep me invested in the world they’d built. I hope there’s more to come because the Midnight Rodeo is too fun of a ride to stop now.

For more info on Midnight Rodeo: Belonging, head over to Goodreads.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Designated Bottoms Anthology

Some men are bottoms by birth, others by choice. Whatever the reason, a designated bottom is someone who's happy to surrender, to submit, or just catch instead of pitch!

In Czech Me Out, by BA Tortuga, Korde discovers what it's like to fall for someone when food truck owner Josh takes on the cowboy virgin.

Katey Hawthorne's gamer grad student Paul doesn't date. He keeps things strictly physical. So why is Sammy so important to him in The Mistell?

Kitty shifter and stripper Aleks doesn't mix business with pleasure, but he thinks Rafe might just be the master for him in Julia Talbot's Faster Bobcat.

Sean Michael's Peter isn't sure about the club his friend takes him to, especially when Doms start hitting on him. Experienced Dom Rupert is happy to help, explaining about that Little Square of Cloth.

In Sgt. Hardass, by Shannon West, recent ex-Army man Jake meets up with a man he has history with, and Chad isn't sure he can explain himself and defuse Jake's anger.

In the Prince of Paupers by Kiernan Kelly, Prince Liam and longtime friend Deacon have to go back to Deacon's Appalachian home, much to the prince's dismay.

And in Switching It Up by KC Wells, Jay knows he looks like a twink, but only hunky Dean understands that looks can be seriously deceptive.

When this anthology with the intriguing title arrived in our inbox, several reviewers got a little...excited. Instead of fighting it out, we agreed to share and pool our reviews together for a group review :)

Czech Me Out by BA Tortuga- average 3.15 hearts

Ann: 3.5 Hearts -
Insta lust that works for new-to-town cowboy Korde and Austin native food truck operator Josh. Just enough angst for just the right reasons and the resolution and Korde’s realizations were really pretty sweet. Josh is a hot, dirty talking sexpert to Korde’s virginal ways and their “joinings” are steamy as hell. I’m a sucker for a bottom boy who has no idea how much he loves it until he tries it and Korde is totally my boy here.

Breann: 3.5 Hearts - Holy needy virgin bottom boy! Whew.

*chugs cold glass of water*

*pours water over self*

Sex. Lots of sex. Controlling, hot and needy sex. Mmmmm.

That's pretty much what this hot little number consisted of.

That being said, Korde and Josh were talking about their future pretty quick considering all they had was a sexy tumble together. I'm rating this for what it was, PWP. Definitely enjoyable. But I would have preferred it was kept at PWP with a little less than a HFN. There wasn't enough interaction (besides the sex) for me to believe in their 'relationship'.

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: 3 Hearts - Funny and very Texan.

Ms. Tortuga got Austin to a T. Not gonna lie, I like it. I laughed at: “Barbeque, the redneck aphrodisiac.” She seems to have taken a page out of the SM school of romance-one part instalove, one part feel good to a truckload of smutastic.

A quick read plus duck kolaches… *quelts*

SheReadsALot: 2.75 Hearts -
I like BA Tortuga. She can rock a sex scene. This story...is 2.75 hearts for me. Why? The sex saved the story. Was is it spectacular? Nah, all the "honey" and "baby" endearments threw me out of enjoying. Also...a virgin gives his butt cherry to basically the first guy he meets, a food truck guy? It wasn't PWP really, definitely insta-dick. Maybe if it was a novella, I'd buy the fantasy. Not bad though. Made me hungry.

Sunny: 3 Hearts - Needy virgin meets dirty-talking top, steamy goodness ensues.  A little silly, but also sweet and sexy. 

This was his fantasy-- a strong man bent over his bed, muscles straining, maybe fighting him a little and wanting it all the while.

The Mistell by Katey Hawthorne - average 4.35 hearts

Ann: 4.5 Hearts -
Hella cute and I loved it. Pete’s voice absolutely cracked me up and I loved reading about him reforming his slutty ways for the oh-so-beautiful and oh-so-right Samir. Pete has some great friends who thankfully call him on his bullshit and they help guide him in Dating 101. Something Pete just doesn’t do. I love when his roommate Dave told him, “Dude, for someone who fucks anyone who doesn’t actively run away, you’re a fucking idiot about dating.” Heh heh. We know throughout that Pete LOVES to bottom, but we don’t get the scene, but the story is just so good it’s almost forgivable that it isn’t there. I get it might have been gratuitous for this story, but I’m down with gratuitous and would love to read more about these two.

Breann: 4.5 Hearts - I so enjoyed this story!

Cutest meet-cute of all time! Gaming buddies? Gah. Loved it.

There was great chemistry between the guys and most of the story took place in their 'get to know you' stage. And, lemme tell ya, getting to know them was fun.

This is an anthology all about the bottom boy. We definitely had our bottom, but I would have loved a sex scene. Just one pounding into the mattress would have sufficed.

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: 4.5 Hearts - Truly delightful.

The Mistell is a lovely little nugget of a story that’s fresh, emotive and engaging. I like this author’s voice with her sprinkles of dry humor… actually, she uses an awful lot of phrases/terminology that I do so maybe I’m projecting. Whatevs.

A protag that describes himself as a “tattooed pierced Art Historian” is always going to garner my attention. I’ll admit a lot of the gaming stuff went over my head, but I like the interaction between all the characters and that Pete thought Samir was a “Cheetos dust covered nerd living in a Mountain Dew bottle fort” prior to laying eyes on him. Not a Mountain Dew dwelling troll. However, it’s a little known fact that Cheetos and Mountain Dew is the breakfast of champions. Clearly this author has experienced it for herself.

The Mistell is a slow burn that felt a little abruptly ended to me. She’s piqued my interest with this and I’ll definitely read more from this author in the future.

SheReadsALot: 4.25 Hearts - Any story that hits you with a "boi-pussy" mention (of it's ridiculousness and offense) is always worth a gander. I was pleasantly surprised with the crisp writing about a art history TS/grand student gamer, Pete who is a bottom who loves sex...and is a hot boy at that. So he undervalues himself just a smidge yet doesn't self-depreciate to the point of annoyance. He meets a fellow gamer in real life, the mega fuckhot Eygytian American, Samir.

"I've never been with someone--like you."
"Easy?"
"No." He gave me a dirty look that faded into a grin instantly. "Just. Popular."

How cute is that quote? The story is not explicit. The MC's don't even have anal. That's how slow they're taking it...but it's a good slow, you know? No insta-dick here. This story has substance. A believable ending and believable characters. A gem in this anthology.

Sunny: 4 Hearts - Delightful story about online gamers who meet up. I loved Pete's voice...

I admit, I suggested we go out to the bar just so I could change. I’m vain that way sometimes; I regret nothing. 

 And

My heart sped up. That, like, weird adolescent dizzysick feeling when your crush smiles at you in the hall. Such an idiot, oh god. “Nope,” I said. Oh yeah, totally cool. 

And Samir was a cutie-patootie. Another sweet and sexy story with lots of laughs thrown in. My favorite of the collection.

Faster Bobcat by Julia Talbot - average 3.25 hearts

Ann: 3.5 Hearts -
I think I like reading shifter stories in short story format a lot. There isn’t a lot of rigamarole about shifter rules and territories and nonsense. I mean they all seem to follow some pretty basic rules so I really don’t need to read about them again. So, I liked that aspect in this story. These dudes are shifters, they sniffed each other out and they both like what they sniffed. Good enough for me. My only issue was the BDSM element and the use of the title “Master”. I wasn’t really feeling that in their relationship so didn’t get why it was a big deal. Neither one seemed like they wanted to play that hard, that way. They both just seemed to like it more for a role-playing thing. That was my impression anyway, so the angst over that didn’t seem necessary.

Breann: 3.5 Hearts - Wining & dining. Sexy shifters. Hot D/s action.

Yum.

While I certainly appreciated the BDSM, it was all a little fast to me. Especially because Rafe was so apprehensive in the beginning. Still, the story left me wanting more, which is always a good thing.
  
SheReadsALot: 3.5 Hearts -
Russian Stripper. Cat Shifters -Lynx & Jaguar to be exact. Interracial instalove...mate/bonding. Pretty much a recipe with my name on it. And light D/s. Oh yes. Aleksy is a submissive Lynx stripper who has a secret desire to be dominated and Rafe, a patron of the Las Vegas strip club, Faster Bobcat. The story is good. I'd have preferred Aleksy to not be naive at points. I tend to question a submissive if they seem too unsure of making simple questions...can they actually handle D/s? The crux of the story is in the importance of Sir/Master. I think a little more length giving more explanation on the words importance to the two. Overall, it was decent.

Sunny: 2.5 Hearts - This story started off strong, with Aleksy, the hot little stripper who happens to be a lynx shifter, and Rafe, the jaguar shifter who wants to dominate him. Aleksy was cute,

  “Hi. I mean, thanks. Yeah. Um, this place smells good. Like fish. Can we sit down so I don’t hump you?” 

 but his awkwardness was overdone at times and he came across as too naive. Rafe came on a little strong and sometimes he put me off. Add in some odd dialogue, over the top reactions, and a little melodrama, and my enjoyment started to slide.

Little Square of Cloth by Sean Michael - average 3.375 hearts

Ann: 4 Hearts -
D’awwwww, I liked this one muchly. Pete is adorable and I loved how he felt safe enough with Rupert to say “fuck it” and just roll with living out every one of his fantasies with his walking wet dream. Rupert was so good with him too and I really got that he was into Pete for more than just one night and for more than just the lifestyle. These two turned each other’s cranks perfectly.

Breann: 4 Hearts - What a fun bit o' BDSM fluffiness.

Pete was adorable. I just wanna hold him and pinch him. Even though this was Pete's first rodeo, he really went for it with his new master. He had some hot chemistry with Rupert. Ah, Rupert. You perfect Dom, you. His rescuing of Pete was cute and I liked how their relationship developed from there. He knew just how to push his new boy.

Perfect sub + Perfect Dom = easy BDSM fluff.

I like.

SheReadsALot: 2 Hearts -
"Oh fuck a doodle doo." Typical Sean Michael quotes...absurdity at it's Sean Michael-est. Guh.

At this point, I let the quotes do the reviewing for me.

""I...I'm obviously out of my league, like whoa." Like super whoa, if he was honest."

There's a Dom who can look at a guy and tell he's a bottom. A MC who has a gay twin that's a drag queen. I'm waiting for the pink aliens to make a drop by because it's Sean Michael warped world. I have abstained from this author for months...and it didn't work with unseeing his standard formula. 2 hearts because of "fuck a doodle doo". I need my brain checked. Oh I also gave up on reading this fully. *facepalms*

Sunny: 3.5 Hearts - Another D/s scene, this time with an in the closet virgin and an experienced Dom. Rupert knew exactly what to say and do with Peter and Peter loved all of it. Dirty talk, hands free coming...I loved all of it, too. I did have a few niggles. Rupert's voice sometimes threw me off, at times he sounded older, more mature, and other times he sounded like a college student ("No way!" "cool"). And Peter sometimes came across as too wide eyed and innocent, even for a virgin.  Just a little too "dorky". Some over the top dialogue, too, but the sexy times made up for that. Peter's initiation to sex was...*fans self*...such a needy sub, such a good boy :)

Sergeant Hardass by Shannon West - average 2.17 hearts

Ann: 2 Hearts -
I would have liked this one a lot more if the majority of the story hadn’t been spent with the two MC’s either fighting or apart. So, I got how they loved each other, but since most of the story wasn’t in their “present” I had to be told it and the seeing came just from reading about how their split was so devastating. By the time the happy rolled around it was over. I also get how Jake was SUPER pissed, but I really didn’t like how he was talking to Chad when they met up again and instead of feeling sympathy for him I just felt like he was an asshole and no one, not even Chad, for all his perceived wrongdoing deserved to be treated and spoken to like that.

Breann: 2.5 Hearts - I liked that this was a second chance romance. It's one of my favorite tropes, but I would have preferred to spend more time in the present with the couple than in the past. I get that we needed some background to get a feel for their relationship, but so much time was spent there that I think the whole 'second chance' part was rushed. Plus, overreact much? Sheesh.

Sunny: 2 Hearts - A lot of time was spent on the back story, told in a flashback, and with too much telling, not enough showing. Add in some questionable decisions and overreactions, Jake turning into a complete ass, and some melodrama, and I ended up not caring what happened :(

Prince of Paupers by Kiernan Kelly- average 3.67 hearts

Ann: 4.5 Hearts -
Ok, I TOTALLY LOVED this one. Never mind that “Prince Murray” sounds a little weird, who cares? Liam was made of awesome. I loved him to pieces and Deacon was the dreamiest country boy ever. It read like a charming summer rom com. Besties-to-lovers MC’s who are hunky polar opposites, pampered prince goes to the country to save the day, a super evil bad guy and heroic deeds that give an HEA. It moved fast but it was full of some great lines and Liam never took his own pampered ass too seriously. I definitely had fun reading this one and an expanded version would be great. Or a movie, either one.

Breann: 3.5 Hearts -
At first I was really worried I wouldn't like this because Liam was damn annoying. But he quickly won me over with his insistence at going with and helping Deacon. And then I LOLed that he brought the butler. (Who, by the way, totally reminds me of Summerset! <- if you don't know who that is, rectify immediately)

They're friends-to-lovers and 'why haven't we done this sooner' relationship was way cute and I enjoyed them immensely.

The end went way fast. Like, WHOA! what they heck just happened. There was way too much going on in all of two pages.

Sunny: 3 Hearts - This story was so over the top silly. A crown prince with no responsibilities? A villain of a minister stealing money? The super rich royal family giving all that money without verifying how it was spent? *smh* It made me smile, though, at all the ridiculousness, and I think (hope) that was the point.

Switching It Up by KC Wells - average 3.625 hearts

Ann: 4.5 Hearts - Extra ½ heart for the theme I was dying to read and hadn’t found yet. Poor Jay’s birthday wasn’t going as planned. He had a smidge of a confusing issue with his work bestie (which makes sense later on, but threw me for a loop at first – who’s going to really be MC #2, what was up with Brenden???) and is left alone at the bar. He meets Dean whos night isn’t going as he planned either and it turns out both are tired of the assumptions men automatically make about them based on their physical appearance. They figure out they push each other’s buttons JUST right and Jay is a dirty talking machine and I LOVED it! A very sweet ending (which was also dirty) and it left me all kinds of happy.

Breann: 4 Hearts -
I love this theme! Since I love a bigger bottom story, I especially love the sexytimes. Mmmmhmmm, they were good. But I would have loved more from Jay and Dean. Especially since there was some light BDSM, more of that would have been perfection. In fact, I could have read an entire story of just them and their dirty talk.

The secondary love-story was a great addition (although a bit predictable) and I would definitely read more about these guys.

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: 3 Hearts - 
Two guys meet at a bar named G-A-Y… *pause* Seriously? The owners of that bar really went out on a limb bar naming wise, huh?

Anyhoo, I'm a huge fan of size difference and this started off with a bang and a chest full of kinky so, I for realz thought this was going to be a win. Then it took a turn into domestic bliss and sputtered for me.

The sex was pretty hot, though.

Sunny: 3 Hearts - I love stories where the bigger guy bottoms. Love them. So I was excited to read this story about the construction foreman who bottoms for the smaller guy. And I wasn't disappointed...by the sex scenes, that is. Although there weren't enough of them! The rest of the story wasn't quite my thing, though. The morning after and the week after were irritating, the next meet up too easy, and the parts with Brendan were a little off. The sexy times were very good, though :)

Find more info on BookLikes and Goodreads

Book Blast & Giveaway: Designated Bottoms Anthology

Today it's all about the bottoms! Designated bottoms, that is. Read on for more about this new collection of stories.

From the editor:

So, what happens when you get a bunch of m/m writers together on a panel at a steamy little convention called Authors After Dark in Savannah?

In this case, we all sat around with the readers who came to our panel and chattered and laughed like idiots, and we talked about what we liked to read and write. There was a lot of smutty puns, and it was all fun and games until someone uttered the fateful phrase, “Right, and every story has to have a designated bottom.”

The writer and editor in me both went, “ooooh”. And I said, “Hey, does anyone want in on an anthology for next year with this theme?”

Enough of the writers at that panel, and a few who weren’t, said yes, and Designated Bottoms was born. When I sent out the call, this is what I said.

You’ve heard about Designated Drivers? Well, what about a Designated Bottom? The theme is open to all m/m stories where one man is a designated bottom boy, Whether self-imposed or by the Dom/lover/alpha of the pack or simply (either true or not) by society. Feel free to play with burly bottoms who surprise the deceptively sweet top, or with the too-smart kid who's the pushy bottom to end all bottoms. BDSM is fine, but not mandatory. A bottom may simply like to catch instead of pitch.

The stories I received delighted me. From a first-time cowboy and his new lover to a hardass Sergeant falling for a determined young soldier, from a hot gamer geek who doesn’t date to a sweet young thing on his first visit to a BDSM club, there’s something for everyone. There are princes and paupers, werekitties and strippers, and skinny twink-looking tops and big, gentle bottoms. They all left me fanning my hot cheeks and smiling at how the end result was two men in love, no matter how they got there.

The authors in Designated Bottoms have all reminded me why I fell in love with m/m as a genre damned near fifteen years ago, and of why I’m still writing, and publishing those stories today.

We’d like to dedicate this book to all the readers at Authors After Dark who thought this collection was a great idea, and to all the readers who keep us going every day by reading our books and letting us know they like them! I hope y’all love these stories as much as I do!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some men are bottoms by birth, others by choice. Whatever the reason, a designated bottom is someone who’s happy to surrender, to submit, or just catch instead of pitch!

In Czech Me Out, by BA Tortuga, Korde discovers what it’s like to fall for someone when food truck owner Josh takes on the cowboy virgin. Katey Hawthorne’s gamer grad student Paul doesn’t date. He keeps things strictly physical. So why is Sammy so important to him in The Mistell? Kitty shifter and stripper Aleks doesn’t mix business with pleasure, but he thinks Rafe might just be the master for him in Julia Talbot’s Faster Bobcat.

Sean Michael’s Peter isn’t sure about the club his friend takes him to, especially when Doms start hitting on him. Experienced Dom Rupert is happy to help, explaining about that Little Square of Cloth. In Sgt. Hardass, by Shannon West, recent ex-Army man Jake meets up with a man he has history with, and Chad isn’t sure he can explain himself and defuse Jake’s anger. In the Prince of Paupers by Kiernan Kelly, Prince Liam and longtime friend Deacon have to go back to Deacon’s Appalachian home, much to the prince’s dismay. And in Switching It Up by KC Wells, Jay knows he looks like a twink, but only hunky Dean understands that looks can be seriously deceptive.

Cover Artist: Anne Squires
Publisher: Torquere Press Inc

Excerpt:  From Czech Me Out by BA Tortuga

Josh had texted the fine cowboy as early as he felt comfortable doing it. He’d waited until nine. He figured it was gratifying that he got an immediate response.

“Noon?” he’d sent, and when he got an affirmative, he’d send his address. Then he set about making lunch.

He could tear that sweet body up, turn the Marlboro Man inside out and make Korde like it. He would soften the guy up with a few barbecue-filled potato skins... Barbecue, the redneck aphrodisiac.

Josh grinned. He’d swayed more than one hot little cowboy with his special sauce and some crispy potatoes. Of course, he’d never asked one to come to his house before, and certainly hadn’t gotten so interested so damned fast.

He’d never changed his sheets and made sure he was stocked with lube and rubbers, either. Not on a not-even-a-first-date. Lord. He was hopeful today, for sure.

Hopeful, horny and... oh, man, he needed an ‘h’ word...

The doorbell rang, saving him from having to be too creative. He told his cock to stay down for a bit and went to answer.

Frack and Frick were yapping their damn fool heads off, wagging and bouncing. Silly mutts. “Y’all get down.”

 Josh opened the door a few inches. “You’re not afraid of dogs are you?”

“Not even a bit.” Korde leaned down and gave scritches, easy as pie.

Those two beagle-shepherd monstrosities went nuts, yodeling and wagging and begging.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway below for a $25 Amazon gift card.  Win, and you can get a copy for your library!

About the contributors:

BA Tortuga: Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing porn sites in the name of research. BA's personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.

Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has responded to the call of the high desert mountains. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon- holed by anyone but the voices in her head. Find her at www.batortuga.com 

Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills. Find Katey at http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/ 

Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex.

A full time author, Julia has been published by Torquere Press, Ellora's Cave, and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at www.juliatalbot.com

Sean Michael: Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys. Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark. Sean's available for interviews, by the way. He can always be talked into, well talking about himself. Find Sean at www.seanmichaelwrites.com 

Shannon West currently lives in the South with her husband and family. A lover and avid reader of M/M romances, she began writing them a few years ago and now has over forty short stories, novellas,and novels to her credit. Her series about wolf shifters, the Dark Hollows Series and the sci fi series, Love Slaves of the Alphas, produced sixteen bestsellers with four of them going to number one on the third party sites. She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013, a nominee for best sci fi series in the Love Romances Café and very honored to be named an All Romance ebooks top ten author for 2013. She writes BDSM and some ménage as well. She loves men and everything about them, and believes that love is love, no matter the gender. She mostly spends her days at the keyboard, trying to elude housework, which stalks her relentlessly.
Links: www.shannonwestbooks.com,
 Twitter: @shannonwest8,
 Amazon Page, and Facebook

Kiernan Kelly lives in the wilds of the alligator-infested U.S. Southeast, slathered in SPF 45, drinking colorful tropical, hi-octane concoctions served by thong-clad cabana boys.

All right, the truth is that she spends her time locked in the dark recesses of her office, writing gay erotic romance while chained to a temperamental laptop, drinking coffee, and dreaming of thong-clad cabana boys.

Sigh.

To date, Kiernan has over a dozen novels in print and ebook, and a plethora of short stories in both formats.
Links: www.KiernanKelly.com, KiernanKelly@KiernanKelly.com or Facebook

KC Wells: Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C.Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way.

K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, where the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings – writing about men in love was even hotter...

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career.

The laptop still has no idea of what hit it... it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.

K.C. loves to hear from readers and can be reached via email (k.c.wells@btinternet.com), on Facebook  or through comments at the K.C. Wells website.

There is a giveaway for that will be available throughout all blog tour stops.  The prize is a $25 Amazon gift card.  Enter with the Rafflecopter here:
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Good Luck and thank you for stopping by!

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Decadent Delights, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Prism Book Alliance, Regular Guys, Hot Romance, Full Moon Dreaming, The Hat Party, Fallen Angel Reviews, Amanda C. Stone, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Love Bytes, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Havan Fellows, Jade Crystal, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, Iyana Jenna

A special thanks to Will at Pride Promotions for his assistance.