Release Blitz + Giveaway: Space Stars by Mell Eight

 

Title: Space Stars

Author: Mell Eight

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 07/05/2022

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 37800

Genre: Science Fiction, LGBTQIA+, space travel, robotics, musicians, celebrities, established couple, spies, secret agents, nerds, scientists, porn star/sex industry

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Description

This book is two short stories with one thing in common—the stars in space shine brightly, whether you’re on planet or soaring on a ship.

Cole’s star is rising like a rocket as his band tours the galaxies to sing to their adoring fans. Except, Cole’s real job isn’t lead vocals—it’s espionage.

Tarle’s star fell long ago after a horrific accident during a mecha showcase event for his new robot. Then he meets Aster, a porn star on the run. Hiding away together is far more appealing than being alone, but no one can hide forever.

Excerpt

Space Stars
Mell Eight © 2022
All Rights Reserved

“They’re definitely building something dangerous,” J said to begin the meeting as he walked into the spacious, albeit bland, room. There weren’t any windows, and the only ornamentation on the white walls was from the holoprojector across the room. He faced a long table with six chairs around it. All six were filled with stone-faced men and women who turned toward J when he stopped walking at the head of the table.

J touched the control panel for the holoscreen to turn the machine on and pointed out the building construction clearly visible from the spy satellite holograph that appeared seconds later.

“Planets have new construction all the time,” P cut in as she pushed her glasses higher up her nose. “With growing populations it’s inevitable, and planet 501b is certainly growing.”

“Look here,” J said as he pointed to the upper right-hand corner of the three-dimensional picture. The projector obligingly zoomed in to the location.

“Ah,” P murmured as she sank back into her seat. “Building a crono-generator is another thing entirely. But what could it be for? They’ve never been a particularly peaceful people,” she said, referencing 501b’s penchant for starting wars over the merest of slights, “but they’ve never been crazy enough to build a crono-bomb before. That could create a black hole large enough to engulf an entire galaxy!”

“How long have you had this picture?” Y asked slowly while he carefully studied the crono-generator.

J sighed. “Long enough that officials on 501b have already captured and executed six of our spies during their investigations of this issue. That’s why this task force was called to meet today. We need to find a way to infiltrate 501b to figure out if they have any plans to attack.”

“They did threaten the galaxy president two months ago in response to the president’s comments against their most recent war,” P mused.

“It’s more dire than just that,” Y said in his slow and contemplative voice. “As you all know, 501b is not actually a planet. Planet 501 was uninhabitable; only its second moon, known by the locals as Kamura, could sustain human life.”

“Moon settlements are always in desperate need of water resources.” P gasped as the full picture finally came clear for her.

“Exactly,” J cut in. “Our planet, 214, also known as Lacustrine, is almost entirely comprised of freshwater lakes, which 501b dearly needs, and our intelligence says they’re interested in acquiring. I’m afraid they don’t have any qualms about what methods they use either. So, the question remains: How do we infiltrate Kamura in order to find more information and, if necessary, destroy their crono-generator before they’re capable of building the bomb?”

P’s phone went off, a pop song currently topping the charts sounding into the worried and contemplative silence left after that final statement. One frequency was all that could reach through the protections built into the meeting room, and P’s phone only went off in an emergency anyway, so no one begrudged her the time she took to walk into the corner and answer her phone.

She didn’t turn on the holograph card to speak face-to-face, which was no surprise considering the nature of her clients, and everyone in the room tried not to listen in when she murmured into the phone. They all had something much more important to think about anyway: the answer to J’s question.

After a few seconds, P returned to her seat. J looked around at the assemblage, waiting for someone to finally say something.

L slowly tapped her finger on the table, and everyone’s attention turned to the elderly woman. L didn’t speak often, but when she did, they listened. This time was no different.

“We must use an unconventional means to sneak our spy in, and I do believe P’s impromptu phone call has given me an interesting idea. Popular music stars are welcomed across all galaxies. Often, they are begged to hold a performance on various worlds. We should put together a band, make them famous, and arrange for them to travel to 501b.”

J joined the others in giving L perplexed looks, but a smile slowly began to grow across his face. The idea was extremely farfetched, yet the very thought of how crazy a plan L had come up with decided him. If he didn’t think the idea viable, then how could anyone on 501b have plans to prevent it?

“That…” He paused to savor the idea a little further. “That is the most perfect plan I have ever heard.” He turned to the other members of the council. “What do we need to do to accomplish this?”

“A band, first of all,” P murmured. “That means at the very least a singer, a guitar player, a bass player, and a drummer if we want something conventional.”

“They’ll need a hit song,” Y added. “And a full album.”

“And good publicity,” P agreed. “I can get them a spot on the Morning Mumble, which will put them into the limelight, but the band has to be capable of proving their abilities, or they’ll go nowhere afterward.”

“So first we need a band,” J stated. “Any suggestions on who we could hire? We need people with musical talent, so we may have to go outside our regular recruits for this one.”

P nodded immediately. “The Star Slashers recently broke up and their drummer is pretty good. He also played for the Black-Hole Surfers,” she added when she received only blank looks. The Star Slashers had never been destined for greatness, but the Black-Hole Surfers had been legendary up until their singer and lead guitarist had overdosed on poorly cut and excessively laced Star Shine and the band dissolved. “His name is Kingsley,” she finished with a smile, “and he’s from this galaxy, so he’d probably be willing to work with us.”

J hummed thoughtfully. “We’ll start background checks on this Kingsley. Any other suggestions?”

L leaned forward with a groan. “I have a grandchild who promised me he would become a rock god by the time he turns thirty,” she said with quite a bit of exasperation in her voice. Her son worked for the agency, and she evidently expected her grandchild to do so as well. That didn’t seem to be in her grandson’s plans. “Solomon plays guitar and his mother tells me he’s quite good. I suppose if the ambition is present, we could give him this opportunity.”

“We have guitar and drums,” J said. “Any suggestions for the other roles? Can you think of any trained recruits we could call in to take the major roles in this operation?”

“It’s not a suggestion,” P cut in, “but we have to find a singer who is pitch-perfect without modifications or he won’t make it. We can’t just pull anyone from our basic training program and implant electronic vocal cords.”

“This is going to be an interesting search, then,” J said with a sigh. Not only did they need a band, but they also needed to find someone who could infiltrate the secret facilities on 501b without getting caught. It wasn’t going to be easy.

The meeting broke up soon afterward. P was the first person to rush out, her phone in hand. Whatever emergency she’d been called about must have been important. Considering P’s clients…well, J hoped there wasn’t a galaxy about to implode somewhere.

Z was J’s colleague from the same agency. He hadn’t spoken during the meeting, but Z was notorious for pulling J aside later to voice his thoughts. J wasn’t surprised when Z joined him in his walk down the empty hallways of the building.

“I might have an idea for a bass player,” Z murmured in his usual half-audible tone. “She’s a spitfire though. Barely passed her basic training before she quit, so I’ve no idea if the girl would like the idea, or if she’s what we want for this mission.”

“Submit her name and have a background check run,” J replied. “We’ll find some way to convince her and…” He paused, his head cocked to the side. One hand flashed upward to grip Z’s arm. “Do you hear that?” he asked excitedly.

Z tilted his head to listen and slowly nodded. “It’s probably a radio someone left on.” He sighed. “But it won’t hurt to go see.”

They both turned the corner, following the sound of someone singing. The door to the men’s locker room was left partially ajar, and J pushed it open the rest of the way so he and Z could walk into the space. J expected to see a holodisk left on inside one of the recruits’ lockers, so he was surprised when a young man, fresh from the showers with his back to J and Z, had his head tilted back and his mouth wide open as he sang.

His tone was pure and clean—perfect.

He was drying his brown hair with a towel, his eyelids closed. His naked back was thin but well sculpted, although the loose pants he wore hid his lower body from J’s perusal. A pair of old-fashioned Coke-bottle glasses sat on the bench next to him.

There were two gyms attached to the locker room, one for the regular staff and one for the special recruits. This far into after-hours, only the special recruits had access. Whoever the man was, he piqued J’s interest.

J glanced over at Z and saw that Z was just as mesmerized by the beautiful singing. Z finally glanced back over and nodded. Whoever the recruit was, he was about to be given a new mission.

The singing stopped as the young man finally finished drying his hair. He put his towel down and patted his hand across the bench until he found his glasses. Then he turned around to find his shirt and jumped when he caught sight of J and Z.

“Sorry,” the young man said, his face rapidly going red as he ducked his head. He got to his feet in a hurry, finding parade rest with his feet even though he was staring at the ground instead of facing straight forward.

“Not at all,” J replied. He stepped closer to the recruit, studying him closely for a long moment, which only made his face grow even redder. “What are your vitals, recruit?” J finally asked.

“Name: Cole! Just finished basic training two days ago, sir!” Cole said sharply, even though he still wouldn’t look J directly in the face. He had been trained well, if not perfectly. “I haven’t been assigned to a vector yet, sir.”

J glanced over at Z after that admission. Normally recruits knew their vector location a good few months before the end of their training. He was also still using his full name rather than a code name, which he would have been given as part of his first vector assignment. Z nodded discreetly. He would start a background check on Cole to figure out what had prevented normal procedure in his case.

“Thank you, Cole,” J said with a dismissive nod. “We’ll be in touch.”

J and Z walked off, leaving behind the man who was to become their lead singer.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

When Mell Eight was in high school, she discovered dragons. Beautiful, wondrous creatures that took her on epic adventures both to faraway lands and on journeys of the heart. Mell wanted to create dragons of her own, so she put pen to paper. Mell Eight is now known for her own soaring dragons, as well as for other wonderful characters dancing across the pages of her books. While she mostly writes paranormal or fantasy stories, she has been seen exploring the real world once or twice.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Red Dot (The Dot Trilogy #1) by Mike Karpa

 Author Mike Karpa and Other Worlds Ink visit on the Red Dot (The Dot Trilogy #1) blog tour! Read more about the sci-fi story and enter in the $20 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Mike Karpa has a new MM sci-fi romance out, The Dot Trilogy book 1: Red Dot. And there's a giveaway!

After the disaster of global warming, the world has gotten its act together. People are positive, sensible, and intent on creating a better future and a just present. And it’s working! So, in a world where everyone makes good decisions, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, other people. Mardy is a 26-year old gay man who dreams of being a full-time machine-tool artist. He brims with ideas, puts in the hours, and has a solid circle of friends—both fellow artists and the artificial intelligences he works with. But he’s always coming in second to another machine-tool artist at his makerspace. He’s dealing with that, thanks to the highly effective psychotherapy of the future, but then he meets his irritatingly successful rival’s twin—and falls for him hard. Consequences ensue, and fast, driving Mardy not just to pursue his artistic dreams, but to try to liberate his AI friends from servitude, and find love in the process.

About the Trilogy:

Powered by art, the search for true love leads to freedom for enslaved AIs.

Publisher | Amazon

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Giveaway

Mike is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47230/?

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Excerpt

Chapter 1

Mardy’s ExMail delivery jet was vectoring in fast on San Francisco.

“Coming in a little hot, don’t you think?” he said to the plane.

“It’s fine, Mardy,” the plane replied.

Mardy gripped the open side-portal of the plane. Hoverdown would normally have engaged by that point, but there was little at the moment to distinguish their trajectory from a kamikaze run at his apartment building rooftop.

“Plane?” Mardy asked, panicking a wee bit. They were plummeting. Mardy clamped his lips against the wind. He wanted to make the designstation time he’d booked for the evening, but as much as he wanted to be a full-time machine tool artist, he’d prefer not to die in the attempt.

One hundred feet, fifty feet. Twenty.

The plane hit its thrusters hard, sending Mardy sprawling out of the portal. He managed a shoulder roll onto the hot concrete roof, ending in a crouch. His heart pounded as the impact of his landing reverberated through his bones.

His plane floated above the roof. “See you tomorrow, Mardy.”

Mardy stood. Did he detect a smirk in the plane’s voice? It maintained its hover, wheels retracted. Was it waiting for Mardy’s reaction?

“See you tomorrow,” Mardy mumbled, shaken, sweating, and not just from the sun beating down on them.

The plane waggled its wings ever so slightly. It was laughing, Mardy was sure of it. Mardy waved slowly as the plane left for who knew where. The official story was that all the delivery jets were operated by a central AI, a single intelligence. But Mardy had sensed differences between planes almost from day one and found it harder and harder to pretend he didn’t. And this plane, a jokester, was his favorite. It knew Mardy was light on his feet, able to handle the abrupt braking. It was playing with him. Mardy wanted to give it a name.

Phil.

The name popped into Mardy’s mind, unbidden. Which felt more alarming than the idea of plunging to earth through an open portal, because naming AIs was illegal—not just technically illegal, but illegal enough to land you in jail.

Mardy caught the beautifully air-conditioned elevator down the thirty-three flights to ground level, legs tired from a full day on the job, and hoofed it one block down Mission Street to WorkShop Downtown SF, sweat now dribbling from him despite the near-dusk hour. The batteries of the personal cooler strapped to his chest must have filled up from harvesting his body heat as he’d raced through his workday.

Mardy pushed through the WorkShop front door. He planned to spend an all-nighter polishing his latest machine-tooled design. It was nearly ready to submit for the salon, the competitive exhibition WorkShop held every month. Salons had only one slot per discipline and he had never been selected, but this was the month he would finally beat out their resident star, Smith Hunt. Mardy could feel it: this month, he would be the salon’s chosen machine tool artist.

He dropped his satchel next to his designstation, already feeling the hours of slogging to come.

His design was a whirligig, one of the middle genres of machine tool art. He’d been working so far in gizmos, the very bottom rung of the genres, but having failed every single month he’d competed, he’d decided more ambition was called for. His whirligig was essentially a mobile cooling fan intended to track the person it was paired with, walking after its target on tiny legs to provide continuous cooling. The best part? When the person settled, their whirligig would dance a cha-cha. It naturally wouldn’t be as convenient or effective as the personal cooling units everyone wore to survive their globally warmed world, but it would be adorable.

His best friend, Cat, a plastic surgery artist, hurried over to Mardy’s designstation, their bushy black hair bouncing. “We’re heading over to Uncle Mix for drinks.” They were dressed in work clothes—sweatshirt and jeans—except that their jeans had a starscape of Milky Way and crescent moon splashed in yellow against the dark blue denim, likely the work of one of the resident fabrics artists.

Mardy shook his head. “I haven’t finished my entry.” Plus, he really wanted to do more than design it. He wanted to build this sucker, an expensive, full realization. And on his pilot’s salary, he couldn’t afford another night out. A minimum-wage job like ExMail pilot was enough for a tidy supplement to universal basic income, but it left little room for art.

Cat bent over to look at his screen. “Show me,” they said.

“I want it to be a surprise.”

“I already know it’s a whirligig. You’ve been dropping hints for a solid month.”

“Are you submitting?” Mardy asked.

Cat cocked their head at him. “Think a question will distract me?”

Mardy chuckled. “Okay, not subtle. But your plastic surgery is so great. I really want you to submit a routine. Use me as your blank.”

Cat gave him a skeptical look.

Ever since Cat’s controversial near-triumph at Vegas Regionals last year, their plastic surgery performance recordings had gotten astonishing view metrics. Now everybody wanted to be in a Cat performance. But Mardy had shied away, despite Cat’s repeated requests and flattering remarks about his bone structure. Mardy trusted Cat’s ability to restore his face and/or other body parts afterwards, but he was afraid of knives. He’d only volunteered now to avoid showing Cat his design. But he’d said it, and if he’d said it, he’d do it.

“Done. And just to warn you, I submitted an hour ago,” Cat said.

“I’m not scared.” Mardy tried to hide a gulp of terror. “In bocca al lupo.” Over the last decade, the Italian phrase—in the mouth of the wolf—had thoroughly supplanted the nonsensical break a leg, part of a global migration of slang, as verbal fashions swarmed over the face of the planet like birds on the move.

Cat ran a finger down Mardy’s jawline, the plans for imagined cuts bubbling behind their eyes.

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Author Bio

Mike was once a woodworker in a makerspace and knows how semiconductors are made. His novels hop around between genres, dabbling in scifi (Red Dot), romance (Red Dot again), suspense (Criminals), and forthcoming in 2022, a snarky comedy of manners set in New York and Arkansas and a YA novel about five puppies in search of a dog rumored to be their dad. Eventually, a behemoth about love, war and espionage in India in the 1960s (Between Countries) will see the light of day as well.

His goal these days is to write novels for queer audiences that are entertaining rather than esoteric, upbeat rather than angsty. His more recent shorter fiction, memoir and nonfiction (some in the more angsty vein) can be found in Tin House, Foglifter, Tahoma Literary Review, Oyster River Pages and other magazines.

Mike has roots in Texas and Estonia, and has lived in California, Michigan and Ohio, not to mention eight years in Asia in the early part of his life. Now he lives in San Francisco with his husband and dog in a house soon to be celebrating its 130^th birthday. Red Dot is Mike’s second book, after Criminals (2021), and is the first in a planned trilogy.

Author Website: https://mikekarpa.com

Author Facebook (Publishing): https://www.facebook.com/mumblerspress

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/mike.karpa/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/mumblerspress

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mumblerspress/

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/mike-karpa/

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/mike-karpa/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mike-Karpa/e/B09GTNWKVY

 

Review: Fire Up My Heart by Asta Idonea

London bartender Fane thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he finds a rare and expensive service Bot discarded in a dumpster, and he takes it home to get it working again. The Jo-E brings some much-needed companionship to Fane’s lonely life, but there’s something different about this Bot, as indicated by its odd behavior. Fane’s developing feelings toward Jo-E trouble him, and things go from bad to worse when a robotics engineer arrives on Fane’s doorstep, demanding the return of his property. Fane is forced to choose between a hefty reward and following his heart. Giving in to his forbidden desires might get him killed—or change his life forever.

Well this was a fun little ride...

New to me author Asta Idonea delivered a cool little tale about a lonely bartender and a service Bot, named Jo-E in the not too distant future in a little town you might've heard of called London.

"You make me feel so many things, Fane. When I think of you, my cogs clench and my gears grind. Electricity sparks inside of me, and power pools in my chest and groin, pulsing there, desperate for release. Do you not experience the same?"

Fane, a bartender at a seedy gay bar named Spunk. An orphan just barely scraping by sees what he thinks is a body in a dumpster and ends up winning a jackpot in the bot lottery. An expensive prototype called Joe-E that was damaged by able to be fixed by Fane. Fane fixes the Bot but something is different. Bots are made to serve humans, not in the sexy way because it's illegal. But he can't help his attraction no matter how hard he fights it. And what's more curiouser is Jo-E reacts and feels like a human. The lines are beginning to blur.

Now, I'll admit. I read the blurb and I jumped to read this because robot sex.

Don't judge.

You know you were thinking it too.

Well maybe not this image exactly...

"Uh, Jo-E, probably best not to tell the guy you were making love to that you were thinking of other things while he was jerking you off."
"I do not understand, Fane. Only 15 percent of my capacity was assigned to the problem. The remaining 85 percent was focused on you."

This story does deliver one erotic scene but what's more important is the sexual tension and budding desire between Bot and human. The author thankfully wrote alternating POV. Fane is a good guy who just didn't win the life lottery. The struggle is totally real in his case. But Jo-E was the one who clinched it for me. Reading Jo-E's thoughts and processes were a delight.

Like this:

"Hours passed as Jo-E pondered. Outside, the sky turned from #58D3F7 to #F5BCA9 to #0B0B3B."  

I actually looked it up on the Color Hexa (color encyclopedia) and it was accurate! How cool was it to describe time changes in code. (BTW, #F5BCA9 is a fave color of mine) Reading him become human like (well as close as the AI could do), reacting to Fane and being the pursuer in their relationship was pretty damn cool.

Sadly, the story wasn't just about man and Bot falling in love. There was a little suspense too. Jo-E's original owner wanted him back and did a few shady things to get Jo-E back in his greedy clutches. Eh...the villain and that plot point, the main idea of it was needed but it could have been a little sharper for me in some aspects.

The villain, an evil, overweight professor who doesn't like to get his hands dirty but loves the food. *sigh* The fat jeering: eats so much cake, looks like a "doughnut", etc...it got old pretty quick. Thankfully, it wasn't a major part of the story, but it stuck out for me. I think the villain could've been a little more detailed. He's a genius, right? He's worried more about eating and ordering others around instead of handling the retrieval himself. Or at least in charge more instead of being so lazy.

Even with the lamer villain, the story and the romance was a nice one. I really enjoyed the concept and the main theme. The HEA was tied up in a neat bow. I'd definitely read more from this author.

Recommended for readers who like light, no angst Bot/human romance that doesn't have a squicky feel to it.

Unicorn meets robots.

Check out on:

Dreamspinner Press

Goodreads

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Tag Team Review: To Terminator With Love by Wes Kennedy

Dexter Wu’s life is hectic, but he's managing—mostly. He’s on the verge of finishing grad school, and that means putting the final touches on his number one project: HAL, a social robot and children's storytelling companion. But his best friend is leaving the country for good, his birthday’s coming up, he’s swamped with studying for finals, and he hasn’t slept in days.

He's also going to destroy the world.

At least, his robot is, according to the possibly untrustworthy Agency, an organization whose mission is to protect the world at all costs. After his birthday party turns into a fight for his life, Dexter's simple life of fast food and Netflix binges is replaced by a glitchy oracle, the world's douchiest secret agents, and an ever-increasing chain of conspiracies.

With the help of Andre, a mysterious and disenchanted young agent turned rogue, Dexter sets out to plead his case to the Director in an effort to get his life back to what counts as normal—but he should know by now nothing is ever so easy.

We agreed on the rating and, coincidentally, used the same quote! #UnicornBrainShare

Fantasy Living

If Austin Powers was a geeky science nerd in university, this would be his story.

I’m casting this because... I feel like it?

Dexter is a crazy stupid genius who’s building a child’s reading companion robot for his post-grad thesis, but hasn’t figured out how to make it talk…

He named the robot HAL - You know - the crazy supercomputer from Space Odyssey?! But cuter.. And not crazy, maybe.

He is attacked and almost killed in his lab by some super-spies as they are trying to steal his creation, but is saved by this guy...Andre…

And finds out HAL is going to destroy the world in the future…

"I’m pretty sure you just tried to sell me a bad Terminator meets Minority Report fanfic here"

But Andre assures Dexter that no one was supposed to kill him, that there must be some mistake, and they need to get to headquarters to sort it all out with the Director.

This story was a lot of fun. I thought Dexter was adorable and funny. Andre was a great balance of serious and sarcastic to balance Dexter’s personality. While on the run they have some surprisingly hilarious dialogue (well not really surprising, but...okay, it was surprising)

"But you’re not exactly being inconspicuous walking the street twitching like a crackhead and stroking a robot like it’s your precious."

"How could HAL even be dangerous? Dangerous enough to warrant all of this, even."

"You named it after an infamous AI that went haywire and tried to kill people," Andre whispered back accusingly.

Dexter threw his hands up in exasperation. "It was supposed to be ironic!"

"I don’t think you understand the meaning of the word."

"No one does!"

They hide at Andre’s grandma’s house, where they get to know each other more… within the limits Dexter sets.

"But, I’m a really awesome kisser - at least that is what my girlfriend in 7th grade told me one time - and if you’re into dudes who can build sweet pillow forts, boy, do I have a treat for you -"

The writing for this story was pretty solid. Only a few mistakes that jumped out at me. Generally, well written, and plenty of excitement to keep the plot moving.

I had to suspend disbelief for pretty much the entire story, because this read like a spy kid movie only for college kids… but you know, it was funny, and witty, and had plenty of movie references to help it along.

There was some stuff that made no sense, but I chalked it up to Austin Powers again, because that movie didn't make much sense and it was a blockbuster hit; not everything has to make sense all of the time.

The world building, while bizarre, was pretty tight. So was the plot. Consistent and crazy. There were some twists and turns, and sometimes I was just left feeling dizzy. But I have absolutely no regrets about picking up this book. None!

I’d recommend this for young adult readers in the 14-17 age range as well as lovers of blanket forts (points at self), and books that reference popular sci-fi thrillers frequently.



Cupcake

What a fun romp!

To Terminator With Love is not meant to be taken seriously. It’s a silly, fun farce with a lovable main character.

Dexter Wu is an electrical engineer at MIT, junk food aficionado and brainiac. He’s witty and sarcastic and completely enamored with his robot, HAL.

If you’re a movie buff, this will be a winner for you.

HAL, according to a clandestine organization known simply as the Agency, will take after his namesake and destroy the world!

To save the world from Armageddon agents are dispatched to robonap HAL. The one thing standing in their way is Dexter Wu who is not letting the precious go without a fight, or at least a couple of pithy epigrams. Thankfully, Agent Andre Jackson decides to go rogue and save the nerd.

*cue caper theme music*

You will need to suspend disbelief a bit for this one. There was a point in the middle somewhere where I seriously toyed with the notion that this was an elaborate hoax orchestrated by some benevolent guardian with the sole objective of bringing the reclusive and socially awkward Dexter and Andre together. It was so outlandish that I just could not fathom any organization operating thusly.

Not only was I incorrect it got even more OTT! There are tons of hijinks and pop culture references in this tribute to sci-fi movies of yore.

Dexter and Andre have a palpable chemistry that’s adorable. During their kooky adventure solid beginnings of a relationship start to form.

Kennedy shines with the banter between Dexter and Andre.

”You named it after an infamous AI that went haywire and tried to kill people,” Andre whispered back accusingly.

Dexter threw his hands up in exasperation. “It was supposed to be ironic!”

“I don’t think you understand the meaning of the word.”

“No one does!”

Oh ho ho ho!

Oh wait, no. You’re right. No one does.

I also liked that both Dexter and Andre are nerdy dudes who have sweaty palms, love a pillow fort, have a totally rational fear of clowns and appreciate a good steak finger.

Overall, a nice entre into the world of published fiction by another fanfic writer crossing over. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Recommend to sci-fi movie fans who enjoy a far-fetched adventure with a character that can drop a Twin Peaks reference with a (mostly) straight face.




Review copies were provided by the author & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads.

Review: Project Ordell by Susanna Hays

Ordell Rutledge lives in the small town of Blackwick where he helps in his father’s modest automaton shop. While he enjoys interacting with the few people who grace his father’s business, he feels isolated because he can’t relate to them. For ten years, life’s been quaint and peaceful, but Ordell has a secret: he is an automaton, sentient enough to pass as human.

Ordell’s life is upended when the person he trusts most betrays him. Heartbroken, he sets off for Linnesse, a city that accepts automatons as people and is booming with the latest technology. With another sentient automaton, Elias Griffith, at his side, they overcome obstacles and uncover the strange truth behind Ordell’s past. But sometimes the past is best left in the dark.

Ordell is a sentient automaton living in Blackwick with his father and creator, Octavio, living peacefully and enjoys helping his father build other automatons to be sold as workers. Or so he believes.

One day he comes home from running his errands and finds his father arguing with a man who gives him the creeps. A week later he is betrayed by Octavio, and has been sold as a pleasure slave to that man.

Running away, he finds himself at Winifred’s house, whom he discovers is his real creator, and she has another automaton locked in her basement to keep him safe. She sends Ordell, and the other automaton, Elias to Linesse, where automatons are free to live as they please thanks an underground revolution that has been fighting for automaton rights for decades.

But the journey is long, and Ratcliffe, the man who bought him, will not give him up without a fight.

This story was loooooooooong. I feel exhausted just thinking about it now. There was so much nothing going on that it took me 8 weeks to read. I just couldn’t get into it. It may work for others, but it did not work for me.

Ordell has only been ‘alive’ for ten years, and while I won’t say he has the maturity of a ten year old, because that is just creepy, he has a naivety that borders on child-like. He is innocent, modest, and easily scandalised. His logic is sound, if he lived in a bubble, which he appeared to, until he was sold. His outrage and sensitivity was irritating and the dialogue didn’t flow well for me.

Elias was a former pleasure slave whom was re-programmed to protect Ordell. His protective streak was not sexy. It was overbearing and silly. There were holes in the story on how he knew what to do and where to go, for a robot whom lived in a basement for however long, and before that was a mindless sex-doll, he sure does know a lot about the outside world. Some of that was explained by programming, but the rest was not.

The story had an innocence to it that contradicted the darker elements of sexual slavery, and kidnapping. It was very whimsical and had a flutterby flow to it. The undercurrent of darkness didn’t really come through in this style of writing, and that was a shame, because it would have given the story the edge that it needed.

A lot of the dialogue was the same, just in a different location. Obviously, it wasn’t exactly the same, but it sure felt like one prolonged dialogue. Also, a lot of meaningless detail that did not progress the story. The only exciting part for me was the mechanical Kraken they encountered on their journey. I wish that scene had been longer.

The romance between Ordell and Elias was odd. It was very fluffy, and I felt like a robot reading about it. I didn’t feel the connection between them at all. I wanted to feel the heat, but it felt like they were just doing it because it was expected. They are supposed to have emotional and physical reactions just like humans.. You know, sentient, but it did not come across that way at all.

This was a really interesting concept, set in a sort of mashup between cyberpunk and gas light, that I really wanted to love. Unfortunately I feel like I will remember this story for all the wrong reasons. Tighter writing of the plot, and chopping about 25% of the dialogue/descriptions/action would greatly improve the flow of this story.

I really can’t recommend this to anyone, but if people want to take a chance, and enjoy cyberpunk/gas light/historical sci-fi then this might be something to try.

Dreamspinner Press
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Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit & Giveaway - Devon McCormack

Devon McCormack is here today and he's representing for #teampain in full force. Not sure what this #teampain business is all about? Check out his Clipped Saga, Cupcake and Baby have has some mighty fine discussions on those books. He dropped by with a gift wrapped in robot non con flash fiction and a giveaway! 

Interested?

Machines & The Nature of Consent

by

Devon McCormack

Warning: rape/ non-con

He shoved his cock deep within the machine as he rubbed his fingers across its rock-hard abs. All his employers were free to enjoy the latest bot models, so why shouldn’t he? And he’d wanted this one more than the others.

The latest developments to synthetic skin made its flesh appear to move just like human’s as the simulated male writhed in the cuffs Dix had restrained its wrists in—ones that bound the bot to a wooden support beam as Dix took it from behind, his hands controlling its hips as the computer twisted its head to behold its aggressor.

It was illegal to dominate another’s bot like this, but Dix couldn’t help himself. He’d needed to have this machine from the moment its stoic, fierce gaze met his days earlier, when his employer introduced him to the new plaything. That gaze was what made this model seem most human, because it held the same look as everyone Dix interacted with regularly. Judgement. Contempt. Disdain. Dix was determined to fuck that gaze right off its face.

The bot whimpered beneath the gag Dix had placed in its mouth. Unlike the bots he’d taken before, he couldn’t collect the necessary code from his employer, so he’d taken it as men have always taken those who resist. Sparks flew from a shoulder injury it had sustained amidst their battle. The scent of rubber picked at Dix’s nostrils as he delighted in the sensation of his dick sliding across the smooth flesh within the bot. With each thrust, the bot’s cry hardly escaped the gag, but its eyes widened as it released the gaze that had been so offensive to Dix.

The pressure in Dix’s pelvis built as he reveled in his betrayal against his employer. Against all society.

The unicorns thank Devon for stopping by, sharing his talent and partying with us. Let him know what you thought in the comments.

Author Bio:

Devon McCormack spends most of his time hiding in his lair, adventuring in paranormal worlds with his island of misfit characters. A good ole Southern boy, McCormack grew up in the Georgian suburbs with his two younger brothers and an older sister. At a very young age, he spun tales the old fashioned way, lying to anyone and everyone he encountered. He claimed he was an orphan. He claimed to be a king from another planet. He claimed to have supernatural powers. He has since harnessed this penchant for tall tales by crafting whole worlds where he can live out whatever fantasy he chooses.

A gay man himself, McCormack focuses on gay male characters, adding to the immense body of literature that chooses to represent and advocate gay men's presence in media. His body of work ranges from erotica to young adult, so readers should check the synopses of his books before purchasing so that they know what they're getting into.

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One lucky winner can win the first two novels from The Clipped Saga, Clipped & Bound!

Though mortals have been convinced that God cares about their souls, nothing could be further from the truth. He created the world as a gift for his lover, Satan. But when Satan left him, he decided to end what he saw as his most grotesque creation.

Satan and his army of demons are man’s only hope…

The demon Kinzer and his lover, Janka, have been sent by Satan to spy on The Raze, a gang of rogue demons who are working with God to bring about Armageddon. When someone exposes their true allegiances, the Raze clips Kinzer’s wings and murders Janka. Kinzer manages to escape. He tracks down Satan’s allies to warn them about a mole in their midst when he learns that they’ve located the Antichrist—a powerful weapon that could prevent the apocalypse. Now, he’s on a mission to protect the Antichrist and avenge his lover’s death.

On the eve of the impending war between Heaven and Hell, the demon Kinzer and his mortal ally Maggie hunt for a powerful weapon that could destroy all of humanity. Devastated by the loss of his greatest love, Kinzer doesn’t believe he’ll ever find happiness again. But when he meets the immortal Hayde, he discovers all hope might not be lost after all.

The angel Treycore’s ex-girlfriend abducted his lover Kid and dragged him into the bowels of Hell. Now, Treycore searches for an entry into the immortal realm. But only one creature can assist him on his quest: Eilee, the most beautiful of the angels and another of Treycore’s previous lovers. After the war between Heaven and Hell, Eilee lost her mind and went on a murderous rampage. With her guidance, Treycore descends into Hell and battles God’s earliest creations as they journey to save Kid from the sadistic clutches of his villainous ex.



To enter to win Clipped & Bound, please leave a comment on this blog post and let us know your name and a means of contacting you (e.g., email, Twitter handle, link to Goodreads account, etc. BMBR will contact the winner privately for their mailing address)

The giveaway is open until 10:00PM (Pacific time) on 11/15/15. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner whom we will select using a highly scientific "names in a hat" method (or, you know, an internet randomizer). Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner.

Review: Manbot by Scarlet Blackwell

If a robot is programmed to obey your every need, wouldn’t you take advantage?

It’s the future and every home in the US owns a manbot or fembot—robots designed to make life easier and obey an owner’s every command.

When Gray Benedict's friend Mitchell expresses a sexual interest in his manbot George, it sets Gray to thinking about his own hotbot, Kavan, a six foot three powerhouse set to obey Gray's every whim. Gray doesn't want to take advantage of a machine but he’s lonely and needs satisfying.

Kavan makes it clear he's happy to serve and he carries detailed manuals on satisfying a human completely. Something about him is way too human though and he reaches Gray on a primal level. Soon the unthinkable is happening: Gray is falling for his manbot.

When it’s offered, what’s a man in love supposed to do?

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing.

Imagine living in a society where every household had an humanoid robot. Think of all the cooking, cleaning and chores that could be done. Need a babysitter? A companion? A sex partner?

Don't worry, the robots don't look like this.

Gray, the owner of Kavan--the 6'3", well hung and plump arsed robot, has been treating his robot like a human in the last year since he got him. Kavan has been learning and assimilating, it is what he was programmed to do as all robots in this world the author created are.

But what happens to robots that develop feelings?

The author packs a unique punch in this novella. It's not my first human/robot MM romance but this was certainly one of the better stories about this subject. Gray is a lonely teacher who has a crappy, prick of a friend who has began sexing his own robot whether his robot wants it or not.

This only pushes Gray to humanize Kavan more than normal. But the thing about it that Kavan starts to develop feelings, quirks a human side. It was sweet and odd at the same time. I loved the bits of Kavan's robotic side - he spoke so plainly that it read funny (in a good way). Gray, the befuddled ginger that he is, can't help falling for his robot and before you start thinking this is a story about a man and his overgrown sex toy, it isn't.

Yes, there is some smoking hot sex scenes. (I mean, this is Scarlet Blackwell) But there's a quirky plot with some feels and minor crime. The story ends in a HFN way but when I think about it, what the possibility of a robot/human relationship could really be? What happens if Kavan malfunctions or his battery short circuits? Or he rusts out? There are plenty of questions to be asked about their staying power but at the core of it all, this story is a romance.

And with the odds stacked against them, I actually bought into Gray and Kavan's feelings for one another. Gray was a good guy who didn't start his relationship with Kavan with lecherous ideas in mind. That is what made this story work for me. I do recommend for readers who want to try something different but still has a romantic feel and aren't caught up in a definite HEA.

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