Blog Tour: By the Numbers (Love Logic #3) by KM Neuhold

 

Author KM Neuhold and Vibrant Promotions host today's tour stop for By the Numbers (Love Logic #3)! Read more about the roommate to lovers romance today!

By the Numbers

Love Logic Series

KM Neuhold 

Release Date: 01.22.21

M/M Romance

Two hot roommates, minus clothes, plus a drawer full of debauchery, and a WHOLE lot of tension. You don’t have to be a math genius to figure out the sum of that equation.

They say I’m a super genius, but would a super genius make the outrageously stupid mistake of falling for his roommate? 

Out of all the men in the world, I had to go and develop a crush on the one who’s already in love with his best friend. 

But when Theo tells me he found my drawer of toys, the only logical thing to do is to offer some no-strings fun.  

I’ve read enough romance novels to know this can’t possibly end well, but I can’t seem to stop myself from falling for Theo. 

The only question is… 

Will he be there to catch me?

*By the Numbers is a low-angst roommates to lovers to HEA story with plenty of heat and lots of swoony moments. It’s the third book in the Love Logic series but can be read as a stand alone.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/ByTheNumbers

Excerpt

“Oh my god, he’s coming over again. Go, go, go.” Alex giggles drunkenly, shoving me toward the makeshift dance floor where the crowd is thick enough that we can lose the guy. I laugh right along with him, tripping over my own feet before Alex grabs onto my shirt to keep me from toppling over.

“Maybe we should just do it. If he’s this motivated, he’ll probably be fantastic in bed,” I joke, and Alex snorts a laugh.

“Fine, but I call top,” he plays along, giving me a sloppy smile when I stop him from leaving the dance floor by grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him to me. 

“Really?” Color me intrigued. I put my arms around him, and we start to sway to the fast, rhythmic beat of the music. 

“You assumed I strictly bottomed?” He tsks at me, shaking his head and draping his arms around my neck. His movements are fluid and entrancing as he grinds his body against mine. 

Since Alex was sneaking sips from my drinks, I just kept ordering, which may have been a bad move because I lost track of how much either of us have had to drink about an hour ago, and then ordered several more. His cheeks are pink from the alcohol, his hair no longer having a manufactured look, instead now truly messy after he’s run his fingers through it too many times. 

“You had a lot of dildos,” I reason, my body heating and my cock hardening at the memory of his drawer full of toys. 

“I also have a lot of jerk-off sleeves,” he points out. The music is loud, but the guy dancing next to us looks over with interest. I shoot him a fuck off look. I already have my hands full keeping Threesome Guy off of Alex. Not that it’s my business who he has sex with. 

My jaw clenches involuntarily, swamped by the same jealousy I felt when he stepped out of his bedroom earlier, clearly dressed to score some ass tonight. 

“You’re mad I’m not a strict bottom?” he asks, misinterpreting my expression. 

I’m not sure if it’s the booze or the fact that I’ve been replaying our kiss over and over for days, but I shamelessly slide my hands down and grab his ass. If Alex minds, he certainly isn’t showing it, grinding against me harder, the stiff ridge of his cock pressed against my thigh. 

“Nope, I can’t say I’m mad about that,” I answer honestly. 

“What about you?” He leans in, his lips brushing against my earlobe. “Do you only like to get dicked down by big, dragony knots, or do you give the dicking from time to time?”

I bite back a groan. Guys who look as cute as he does in little science pun t-shirts should not be allowed to have such filthy mouths. 

“It depends.”

“Oh? Well, if we throw caution to the wind and let Mr. Threesome take us back to his no doubt luxurious, leather appointed apartment tonight, what’s your preference?” 

The alcohol is definitely going to my head, that’s the only explanation for my behavior, kneading Alex’s ass cheeks in my hands and dragging my nose along the smooth curve of his jaw. 

My cock throbs desperately against him, and I can’t for the life of me remember why I’ve spent the past few days thinking that taking him up on his offer would be a bad idea. 

Before I can answer his question or do what I’m really contemplating and kiss him again, someone knocks into me from behind, sending me stumbling, the two of us nearly crashing down onto the hard floor before we catch ourselves, the moment shattered. 

                                           

Author K.M.Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together. She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series. When she's not writing she's a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero...just kidding, she's likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.

 linktr.ee/KMNeuhold

                                     

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Stable Hand (The Braided Crop Ranch #1) by AE Lister

Pony play enthusiast? Check out today's release blitz from author AE Lister and IndiGo Marketing for Stable Hand (The Braided Crop Ranch #1)! Read more and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway! 

Title: Stable Hand

Series: The Braided Crop Ranch, Book One

Author: AE Lister

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: November 2, 2020

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 84800

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, BDSM, pony play, cowboys, entertainment, sex toys, menage, polyamory, rewards, punishments

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Synopsis

The Braided Crop Ranch is looking for stable hands. But this is no ordinary horse ranch. They cater to men with a certain interest. An interest involving harnesses, tails, and trainers.

Managed and expertly run by registered psychologist, Adam Marsland, the Ranch is a safe place for the expression of sex positive and kink positive needs and fantasies.

Jensen Moriarty is desperate for a job. He can handle horses. In fact, he’s a pro at it. Too bad the BCR doesn’t deal with real horses. But they do have “ponies”.

If Jensen can wrap his head around what the BCR actually stands for, he may have the opportunity to expand his resumé and experience something completely unexpected in the process.

Excerpt

Stable Hand
AE Lister © 2020
All Rights Reserved

Horses. They were what I knew. What I’d grown up knowing, riding, grooming, tacking in the small Alberta town where I’d lived.

I missed small-town life. Ottawa wasn’t a huge city, but it was big enough, crowded enough, it made me crave the peace and quiet of a smaller life.

My friend Mitchell hadn’t told me much about the Braided Crop Ranch except to say the place was secluded deep in the heart of the Muskokas in Northern Ontario, which turned out to be an understatement.

From my calculations I was only about twenty minutes away, but the brush had thickened, and the GPS wasn’t making sense. There wasn’t even a proper road. Out of desperation, I pulled my car over to the gravel on the side of the dirt track. I left the car on, air conditioner blasting, while I looked up the name of the man who’d interviewed me over the phone: a Mr. Adam Marsland. I found the number quickly in my contacts and hit call.

“BCR, Connor speaking,” a chipper male voice announced after a few rings.

The voice didn’t belong to Mr. Marsland.

“Uh,” I hesitated. “Hi. I’m trying to reach Adam Marsland?”

“Who’s calling, please?”

I cleared my throat, feeling like an idiot. Nothing like starting a new job and not being able to find the place. “This is Jensen Moriarty. I’m supposed to be there at noon, but I—”

“Oh, hi, Jensen. I’m Mr. Marsland’s personal assistant. Would you like me to get him for you?”

“I just need directions. My GPS isn’t making sense.”

Connor laughed. “He should have told you not to rely on the GPS. You should be using the map from the email.”

Email? “What email?”

There was a pause. “You didn’t get the welcome email? The one outlining our policies and practices? I’m sure I sent the form to you a few days ago…”

I wracked my brain but didn’t remember seeing an email. Unless the message had gone into my spam folder. “No, I didn’t get it. A map would be…helpful.”

“Sure, yeah, let me text the map to you. Hold on a second.”

“You might as well text me the other info as well.”

Connor cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I’ll let Mr. Marsland explain everything when you get here.”

I heard a notification and saw the map had come through. I opened the file quickly and had a look.

“Looks like I’m not too far.”

“Okay, come to the main building when you get here. You’ll see the BCR sign on the wall.”

“BCR?” I asked, wiping a crushed mosquito off the dash.

“The Braided Crop Ranch. That is where you’re trying to get to, right?”

“Yes. I just— Yes, that’s where I’m headed.” God, could I make a worse first impression?

“I’ll make sure Adam is here to greet you.”

“Thanks,” I said.

As I’d suspected, I wasn’t far out. If I followed this dirt road and turned onto another called Rattler’s Revenge in about three miles, I’d be there.

Would they put me to work right away, cleaning stalls and looking after the horses? Mr. Marsland hadn’t described my exact duties during our phone interview, but Mitchell had said they were looking for a stable hand.

Marsland had seemed like a nice guy. He’d appeared more interested in the kind of person I was rather than in any experience I’d had. I’d explained I needed a job that would give me some direction along with a decent salary so I could pay off my student loans.

The business degree had been a waste of money, no matter what my parents said. Turned out I hated accounting. Yeah, I was good with numbers, but working with them all day and night was too much to ask.

I needed to be outside. I needed to be interacting with other beings, human or animal. I needed hard work and adventure.

Now I had no idea what I wanted to do. Except for horses. I wanted to work with horses. Living on a ranch with a bunch of other cowboys wouldn’t be so bad either. Even if they didn’t share my orientation, the eye candy would be heavenly.

I’d been surprised when Adam told me the salary I’d be earning. The level was high for a stable hand. He’d also mentioned something about the special stock at the BCR so maybe they only housed Arabians or something. That would be a treat. I’d never seen a full-blood Arabian horse up close.

After following the serpentine curve of Rattler’s Revenge for about fifteen minutes, the brush thinned, and I emerged into a large clearing with the impressive outline of the ranch spread before me. The path took me to a set of steel black gates with BCR in big iron letters affixed to the bars.

A black intercom box perched on the stone wall to the left of the gates. I pulled in close, lowered my window, and pressed the button.

There was a crackle and then Connor’s voice. “Name please.”

“Jensen Moriarty. We spoke on the phone.”

“Awesome. I’ll buzz you in.”

An electrical humming noise sounded as the gates unlocked and slowly swung open.

“Welcome to the BCR, Jensen,” Connor said.

I drove forward and rolled up the window to keep the heat out.

An array of bright red and brown buildings crowded the far distance. In front of me stood an imposing clapboarded farmhouse with these words, painted in black, spanning the wall:

THE BRAIDED CROP RANCH STABLES

~ Pony shows every month ~

Pony shows every month, huh? Looked like I’d have my work cut out for me.

I parked in the small lot to the left of the front door and turned the car off. I wondered if driving all the way out here had been the right thing to do. At any rate, the job provided a new beginning and somewhere to spend the summer. If I enjoyed the work and found the people to be friendly and helpful, maybe I’d stay for a while.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read Universal Link

Meet the Author

AE Lister/Elizabeth Lister is a Canadian non-binary author with a vivid imagination and a head full of unique and interesting characters. They have published many other books, one of which (Beyond the Edge) received an Honorable Mention from the National Leather Association–International for excellence in SM/Leather/Fetish writing.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Tag Team Review: High Heat (Hotshots #2) by Annabeth Albert

Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series continues—the emotions and intensity of Chicago Fire with the raw, natural elements of Man vs. Wild.

Smoke jumping is Garrick Nelson’s life. Nothing, not severe injuries nor the brutal physical therapy that follows, is going to stop him from getting back with his crew. But when a lost dog shows up on his front porch, he can’t turn her away, and he can’t take care of her on his own. Thankfully, help comes in the form of his new sexy, dog-loving neighbor. As they work together, trying to re-home their little princess, Garrick can’t resist his growing attraction for the other man, even though he knows this guy isn’t the staying type.

Rain Fisher doesn’t take anything too seriously. He dances through life, one adventure at a time, never settling in one place for too long. When his hot, conveniently buff, neighbor shows up on his doorstep, dog in tow, Rain’s determined to not just save the adorable puppy, but her reluctant owner as well. He never expects their flirtation might tempt him into stay put once and for all...

3.25 hearts average

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 3.5 Hearts

This was a very nice age gap story, full of hurt/comfort and generously brimming with slow burn UST and sexual healing.

It’s recommended to read this in series order since last we saw Garrick in Burn Zone, he had suffered some serious injuries which were far worse than feared. Never mind two broken legs but add a spinal injury as well, and Garrick has been struggling (but mostly winning) at beating the odds, determined to regain full mobile function so he can get back to fighting fires as a smokejumper. When he spies a skittish stray dog, he knows he can’t fully care for it and enlists the help of his neighbor’s grandson.

Rain is visiting for the summer, and he wants to work the front lines of a fire crew. Being an animal lover, Rain sees a golden opportunity and asks, in exchange for assisting with the sweet orphaned dog, for Garrick to train and get him in shape to become a firefighter. As these two develop a routine and then a friendship, the strong attraction between them can’t be denied.

So what’s an older pansexual, known to be quite the player prior to his accident, gonna do with a free spirited young man who’s always ready to move onto the next adventure? You guessed right.

Of course, as feelings inevitably develop, will either be able to trust in their own wants and needs as well as have faith the other will commit for the long haul? Will personal life expectations stymie current happiness, impeding the chance to be fulfilled now despite not yet achieving well intentioned goals??

Thankfully, there was minimal protracted angst unlike the first book. Garrick has pretty great optimism and drive in the face of so many obstacles, and Rain, despite his youthfulness, has tremendous empathy, and grace.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I can’t quite exactly pin down why this wasn’t a 4 star read for me. Assuredly, Albert always writes well - there's no doubt about that as she delivers alternating pov’s, with an overabundance of smex that is protracted, varied, and explicit (ie. manties, toys, exhibitionism, topping from the bottom) for those who need to know. Again, the wild fire scenarios were consistently well researched and lent a good amount of suspense. So, regardless of how I rated this, if you love the above mentioned tropes and have a soft spot for uniformed men in dangerous situations, then this should reliably satisfy! Enjoy!

Adam - 3 Hearts

Rain and Garrick have little in common. Except for two things - the injured dog they suddenly become responsible for, and an undeniable mutual attraction.

Starting off as strangers, they quickly bond over taking care of Cookie, the playful stray that showed up on Garrick’s doorstep and decided to stay.

And after some initial hesitation, both men are more than happy to explore what’s between them.

I liked how easy Garrick and Rain were with the physical part. Yes, Garrick does have misgivings about the age gap, but they’re both on board to have some fun. And they definitely brought the heat!

Bonus points for the easy acceptance of Rain’s femme side!

But things are far from simple. Garrick struggles with injuries he sustained on the job, and Rain can’t stay in one place too long before the itch to move on hits. And both of those things affect their ability to build a meaningful relationship.

I really appreciated that Annabeth Albert didn’t gloss over or minimize what Garrick’s injuries meant. There’s no miraculous recovery or easy fix to get back to “normal”.

However, it’s not an easy thing for Garrick to accept. His refusal to face facts was a bit annoying at times, but it was understandable - holding on to that hope of getting back to the life he used to have was the motivation Garrick needed to push through the gruelling recovery.

However, more than Garrick’s stubbornness, it’s Rain’s wandering way of life that puts an expiry date on what the two men have between them.

But the heart doesn’t stick to timelines! Through walks with Cookie, cozy dinners at home, and nights spent in each other’s arms (and eventually even shared days at work), the Rain and Garrick’s lives slowly become entwined.

The way Rain and Garrick fell in love and built a shared home without even realizing it was absolutely adorable. It was easy to root for them, and I really wanted them to make things work!

It takes a hard reckoning for Garrick and Rain to finally get their heads on straight, but their HEA made the uneasy road worth it!

Overall, I enjoyed ‘High Heat’ a lot more than I did book 1 in this series, and I’m invested enough to see what book 3 has to offer!

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Complex Dimensions (Rowan House #1) by Brenda Murphy

Complex Dimensions (Rowan House #1) is out from NineStar Press! Celebrate with author Brenda Murphy and IndiGo Marketing today! Learn about the new series and enter in the $10 NSP credit giveaway!

Title: Complex Dimensions

Series: A Rowan House Novel

Author: Brenda Murphy

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: September 23, 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 65100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Contemporary, BDSM, lesbian, interracial, ex-convict, chauffeur, D/s, butch, sex toys

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Synopsis

Sick of living in her parent’s basement and encountering her ex-girlfriend on a regular basis, former graduate student Veronica Fletcher signs on to manage the stable for Rowan House, Skye’s most exclusive resort for women. After arriving at Rowan house Veronica’s vow to remain celibate is tested when she meets Millie Reid.

Sexy, sweet, and funny, Millie is the woman of Veronica’s dreams. Or is she? When Millie’s past threatens their future together, Veronica is faced with a choice she doesn’t want to make. The butterfly effect has never been more personal.

Excerpt

Complex Dimensions
Brenda Murphy © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Veronica followed her mom through the grocery, navigating the phalanx of Saturday afternoon shoppers. Her thoughts wandered as she trailed behind her mother as she maneuvered their overloaded cart around people staring at the overcrowded shelves, children straying from their parents, and the occasional mobility scooter.

“Ronnie, would you go back and pick up another can of tomato paste? I need two for my sauce. I’m so out of step since they rearranged the store. I don’t understand why…”

Not ready to listen to her mom go on about the changes in the store layout for what must be the hundredth time since she had been released, Veronica interrupted her. “Relax, Mom, I got it.”

She turned and jogged back two aisles and caught sight of a familiar face. Dee stood at the far end of the aisle, her arm draped around the shoulders of Veronica’s ex-friend, Paige. A toddler, her round face and dark brown eyes so much like Dee’s she could have been a clone, sat in the basket of the cart in front of them. Paige pressed a kiss to Dee’s cheek.

Say hello. Don’t act invisible. Get over yourself. So, she’s here with Paige and their baby. Should be me. Should have been us. She looked away and gathered herself. Say something. Be a grown-up. Congratulate them. She looks happy.

Veronica walked down the aisle toward the women, working hard to keep a smile plastered on her face. She lifted her hand in greeting. Dee glanced up and made brief eye contact before a frown crossed her face. She turned her head away from Veronica. Paige looked past Dee and shot Veronica a challenging glare before she pushed their shopping cart briskly away. Fuck. No mistaking the message. She’s moved on. Let it go. She stopped and shoved her hands in her pockets to keep from balling them into fists. She turned away, walked to the main aisle, and followed the overhead labels until she reached the canned vegetable aisle.

She stood in the center of the aisle and groaned inwardly as she studied the shelves. Why do they need twelve different kinds of paste? Damn it. Where the hell is the Bella tomato paste? Mom will flip if it’s not the right brand.

A short woman dressed in a bright red T-shirt and jeans stepped up on the bottom shelf of the section. She extended her arm, her fingers straining shy of the can of tomato sauce she was trying to reach.

Veronica stepped closer. “Hey, let me…” The shelf rocked and teetered. The sharp sound of metal scraping made the hairs on Veronica’s arm stand up as the shelf tilted toward the woman.

“Watch out!” Veronica grabbed the woman around the waist and tugged her out of the way as the entire section of heavy metal shelving crashed to the floor. Cans of vegetables slid off the shelves and filled the aisle. A dented can of stewed tomatoes rolled past her shoe as cans continued to randomly slide from the twisted metal shelves.

“Are you okay?” Veronica let go of the woman’s waist. Other shoppers crowded around them, drawn by the noise.

A store employee arrived. Red faced and wheezing, he pointed to the avalanche of cans. “Is anyone under there?”

“No. I don’t think so.” Veronica leaned away from the stale smell of cigarettes and sweat wafting from the employee.

The woman stared at Veronica, her eyes wide. “You…I would have been under there. I would have…” Her cheeks grew pink. “Thank you.” She ducked her head, pushed through the crowd, and fled.

More store employees showed up and blocked the aisle with warning signs and yellow tape. The crowd filtered away. Veronica stepped back from the chaos.

The dull edge of the can she was still holding dug into her palm. What if my mom hadn’t needed another can of tomato paste? What if Dee had wanted to chat? What if I hadn’t noticed the shelf shift? We both would’ve been under there. A minute. A second. So much can change in a moment. Butterfly effect. Chaos Theory on display.

“Ronnie?” Her mother’s hand squeezed her arm. She turned and stared down the aisle, her lips pressed together in a thin line. “Good Lord, look at that. You’d have been crushed.”

Veronica held up the can in her hand and grinned at her mom. “Got the tomato paste.”

Her mother quirked her mouth, “All right, joker, let’s get the rest of the groceries before anything else falls down.”

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble

Meet the Author

Brenda Murphy writes short fiction and novels. She loves tattoos and sideshows, and yes, those are her monkeys. When she is not swilling gallons of hot tea and writing, she wrangles two kids, two dogs, and one unrepentant parrot. She writes about life, books, and writing on her blog Writing While Distracted.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Blog

Giveaway

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Runner (The Runner #1) by Karma Kingsley

Karma Kingsley and IndiGo Marketing host the Runner Blog Tour! Learn about the new author in the interview, check out the excerpt and enter in the NineStar Press eBook giveaway!

Title: Runner
Series: The Runner, Book One
Author: Karma Kingsley
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: August 21
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 79300
Genre: Contemporary, age gap, celebrities, hurt/comfort, interracial, mild BDSM, movie industry, spanking, toys

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35713191-runner

Synopsis

Alex Banez is a runner for a Los Angeles film set. When he has a chance encounter with executive producer Atwell Richards, he finds himself falling fast and hard. Atwell is rich, powerful, gorgeous, and everything Alex never thought he would have. But Atwell also has a dark side and an inflexible need for control that threatens to suffocate everyone around him.

Alex has to figure out if he can love Atwell without losing himself.

Excerpt

Runner
Karma Kingsley © 2017
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One

“Dammit. Son of a…” Alex shook out his hand, holding back a curse as he blew a puff of cool air onto his burning fingers. The skin on his knuckles reddened and sizzled, and he clenched his jaw as he waited for the pain to subside. Goddamn new directors and their tea fetishes. He’d burned himself nearly a thousand times since the new management team had taken over the set. He was certain his hands were merely bone and burn marks, as the last of his skin had certainly just sizzled off.

Taking a deep breath, he carefully placed the scalding hot cup of Orange Jasmine onto a tray with two others, both varying pretentious flavors of tea. His new bosses from Maryland, flown in to save the current film from going up in flames, had a particular palate for teas.

Alex had thought they were joking when they requested that he place an order for the list of nearly fifty different flavors of the beverage, but the cold, sharp looks from his collection of recently arrived employers had quickly assured him that being a “tea connoisseur” was no laughing matter. He’d nodded in obedience and quickly hopped on the task, having to call in nearly every favor owed to him for the more exotic brands. He’d thought that was the hard part, until they had taken to requesting that he deliver them a new flavor of burning hot tea on the hour. In addition to the other millions of tasks he had to complete, he now had a timer attached to his waist, set to beep every fifty minutes and remind him to hydrate the arrogant devils that controlled his paycheck.

Though he wasn’t in the business for the money. God knows he wasn’t in it for the money. The shit job came equipped with equally shitty pay, but this was where he needed to be. Starting from the bottom was the only way to get to the top.

He picked the tray of mugs up and balanced it on his palm, keeping it steady with the light touch of his other hand. He plastered on a smile and moved forward toward the three men sitting confidently in chairs labeled with their individual titles. None of them mattered. They all outranked him.

“Oh, the tea is here,” one of them exclaimed, turning in his chair to reach back for one of the glasses.

Alex opened his mouth to warn him that he was taking the wrong glass. He’d arranged them in the order that they sat, so as not to forget who ordered what, but his effort was futile as the man brought the cup to his lips. He took a sip and immediately spit it back into the cup.

“Is this Pomegranate Raspberry?” he asked angrily.

“Uh, yes. But it wasn’t—” Alex started to answer but was quickly cut off.

The man stood up from his chair. He wasn’t an intimidating man. His features were light, his hair platinum blond, and he was barely half Alex’s size, but he was obviously used to having power and money and thought that his size was more threatening than it actually was. His gaze burned furiously into Alex. “I specifically asked for Red Velvet. Did you think that I wouldn’t taste the difference? Do you think that I’m an idiot?”

Alex stared back at him openmouthed. He had no words. He wasn’t even sure how the two questions correlated. He would never be able to taste the difference between any flavor of tea, ever, and he certainly didn’t think himself an idiot. “Well, it’s just—”

“It-it’s just—” the man mocked him. “Just go, runner.”

Alex stood frozen, still staring at him, and mortified by his outburst.

“I said go, before I find your replacement. Hopefully, one that can read the label on a bag of tea.” The man waved him off as his two companions watched silently. Alex gathered himself. He closed his mouth and turned to leave them to bitch about him and his incompetence. He clenched his teeth together. If you want to be in one of those director chairs one day, then you better damn well keep it together, he reminded himself. He was the set’s bitch boy for now but one day, he’d be running the show. One day soon.

Author (Quickie) Interview

After reading your book 'Runner', it made me super curious to know how you got into writing racy novels?

Well, I got into writing racy novels because that's what I've always read...well, steamy novels, fantasy novels and heaps of nonfiction. But I haven't quite grasped putting together fantasy novels just yet-- I’m a horrendous world builder--and I don’t have the platform or know-how for nonfiction.

The specific ‘racy’ bits Runner came about because, I've just always been intrigued by power play novels but I've never liked that one person always had to give up ALL of their power to the other. So, Runner is sort of built into the concept of power play but where both characters have sort of unbending personalities. So instead of having a high character and a low character, everything sort of meets at a slant.

What is the thing that inspires you the most?

I take inspiration from a lot of things, my life experiences, TV shows, books, things I see people do at Walmart...Inspiration is everywhere.

I guess if I had to choose a most inspiring thing, I’d go with a Maya Angelou quote: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, compassion, some humor and some style."

Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?

I don’t listen to music when I write. I’m one of those people that needs complete silence. But I do sometimes hear songs that inspire stories. For instance, I’ve listened to The Chief album on repeat since it dropped and I desperately want to write story based on the album, or write Jidenna’s memoirs, either works for me.


Purchase Links

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/runner/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B074MHC49V
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/740853
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/runner-karma-kingsley/1126944941
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/runner-32

Meet the Author

Karma is a wine-enthusiast, feminist, activist, humanitarian, vegetarian and just all around liberal and that often seeps into her writing. She loves any place with white, white sand and blue, blue water and an endless supply of prefix-mo drinks (Moscato, Mojito, etc.).

Author Links

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Karma_Kingsley
Email: KarmaKingsley@gmail.com

Tour Schedule

8/21 Love Bytes Reviews www.lovebytesreviews.com
8/22 Erotica For All http://eroticaforall.co.uk
8/22 Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews http://wickedreviews.blogspot.com
8/23 The Novel Approach http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com
8/23 Boy Meets Boy Reviews boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.com
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Tag Team Review: The Art of Mutual Pleasure by K.A. Merikan

--- The path to debauchery is strewn with good intentions. ---

Benjamin Snowley is trapped in a most distressing predicament. He’s been feeling poorly and after having recently recovered from influenza, he knows that the fault for his declining health lies in a vice he wouldn’t dare mention in polite conversation.

Onanism, self-pollution, masturbation. All names for the same sinful affliction.

For Benjamin, it all started back at school, where he first encountered the immoral Frederick Cory. Ever since then, the man has been plaguing Benjamin’s dreams and causing most unnatural urges.

Now is the time for all the infatuation nonsense to stop. With the help of an unorthodox doctor and an indecent proposition to a young stablehand, Benjamin will rid himself of the vile addiction.

But can the experimental treatment be enough to make him forget his feelings for Frederick?

Warning: Contains a clueless young man on a futile quest for chastity and a libertine artist eager to rid him of that goal

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

Themes: masturbation, historical attitudes to sexuality, medicine, doctor, guilt, unorthodox treatment, master/servant, groom, superstition, moral failure, enemies to lovers

Genre: M/M Regency romantic erotica

Erotic content: explicit language, inappropriate medical examination, cum swallowing, bareback, sex toys, body worship, multiple partners

Chelsea - 4.5 Hearts

That was so much better than I was expecting! I didn’t have high expectations for this one, I don’t know why, I love K.A Merikan and I’m glad they proved me wrong and reminded me why I should always trust their writing!

This is more of a self-discovery story than a romance, but it ends romantically, or happily? I don’t know if you can call orgies romantic? Either way I totally loved it!

Poor Benjamin lives in a time where masterbation or ‘self-abuse’ is the cause of many illness and even death, who knew right?!? It all started when he was 13 and witnessed an older schoolmate making out with another boy?! Oh the scandal! He couldn’t help but indulge in a little ‘self-abuse’ after that. Despite this he doesn’t understand his provilicaties lean towards the same sex until much much later in the book. So be prepared to watch Benjamin struggle with a huge amount of self-loathing.

This book had me shaking my head in disgust, my eyes popping out of my head and absolutely praying for Benjamin to get a clue!! but I loved watching the process of his self- awareness developing. My heart did break for him when he felt so isolated, It was nice when he finally found some freedom. That's what I love about the Merikans they so easily involve so many different emotions into their stories.

But what I think they’re known for is there dirty dirty kinky sex and this book is super dirty, like cum guzzling, spit-roasting, glory holes and gangbangs… just to name a few.

So Benjamin obviously has multiple partners throughout this story and he ends in an open relationship with a man. I think the Merikans have written the best open relationships I’ve read so far. There's an understanding and something a little extra between the couple but both enjoy other men and want to keep it that way. It worked so well for Benjamin and I’m glad he didn’t end up in a monogamous relationship, it wouldn’t have worked for this stage of his life.

If you can handle your frustration at the opinions of the time and don’t mind multiple partners and super dirty sex with a HEA, I’d highly recommend this one!!!

Adam - 3.75 Hearts

I’ll acknowledge the obvious first: the premise of this book is silly and very unrealistic. But the authors were going for a light-hearted and sexy read, and they definitely accomplished that.

This book tells the story of Benjamin Snowley, an upper-class English gentleman who struggles with a major health concern - masturbation. He’s convinced that this his daily practice of “self-pollution” has resulted in his ailing health.

Benjamin consults a doctor with unorthodox methods. The doctor has a simple solution: in order to compensate for the vital fluids the Benjamin loses by masturbating, he’ll need to consume the stronger fluids of working-class men.

Benjamin struggles with this advice, but he soon finds a compelling reason to go through with it - the captivating stable boy on his country estate.

And so begins Benjamin’s descent into debauchery.

Benjamin takes to man-on-man action like a fish to water. He’s eager to try new things, and he soon finds that he prefers being on his knees and making his “donors” happy.

There’s a lot of sex in this book, which could easily have become stale or repetitive. But that wasn’t at all the case. Each sex scene was incredibly hot.

The romantic relationship doesn’t really come into play until the second half of the book. Benjamin’s love interest is Frederick Cory, a libertine who Benjamin went to school with, and who Benjamin blames for his health predicament.

But Frederick slowly brings Benjamin around, convincing him that sex is something pleasurable and acceptable on its own. It takes a while, but with Frederick’s support Benjamin finally learns to accept his desires and kinks.

I’d say this book is more so about Benjamin’s self-discovery than about a romantic relationship, but I still found the romance to be sweet, and the HEA was perfect for these two.

This book takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy. Benjamin’s naive belief in the “remedy” can get annoying at times. But even so, I ended up really liking this book.

If you’re looking for a sexy MM historical read and are willing to go with the flow, give ‘The Art of Mutual Pleasure’ a try!

Review: College Discipline by Caitlin Ricci

Four stories of sex, romance, and college boys learning to kneel.

Hitachi is a police officer reduced to being a glorified babysitter for a rich man’s son. He resents his assignment, but Gabriel isn’t the brat Hitachi believes he is. He’s a man who likes pain, and who wants Hitachi to let loose with him too.

Leo fantasizes about having sex with a complete stranger, but when he gets his chance it isn’t nearly as wonderful as he imagined it to be. His dad’s boss tries to teach him a lesson about making stupid choices, but his education in submission doesn’t end there.

Jensen is horrible at math, and now he’s in a calculus class that he’s barely getting through. His parents get him a tutor, but this tutor is interested in teaching Jensen about far more than just math.

Timothy comes back home, to a tiny town he can’t stand, when his mother’s illness gets worse. He’s made a string of bad decisions, and his mother’s friend is determined to turn his life around before Timothy gets lost entirely.

Oh dear. This took me soooooooo long to finish, like ridiculously long for 55 pages. I had such high hopes for this group of shorts, I mean that blurb is pure yummy yumminess! However the execution was just….not good….

Jenson’s Tutoring - 1.5 hearts

Shallow. This had no feeling and the weirdest relationship development I've ever seen, most definitely the fastest. Jensen is coming over to Sam's house for his first tutoring lesson in calculus. When Jenson explains that his problem is being easily distracted Sam offers him a solution, hitting him with a crop.

This was actually a pretty good BDSM scene, a bit of rough fucking, crops and body clips, but it was not appropriate for people who had literally just met. It would have been easy enough to say that Jensen and Sam had been tutoring with each other for a few weeks and that it escalated to something more on this one occasion. Instead they were strangers and Jenson has no BDSM experience at all, oh but lucky for him he's been a inner pain slut all along without even suspecting *que eye roll*. Then when their one thirty minute scene ended they're talking about dating and being completely perfect for each other, it was just too rushed and too shallow.

Leo's Grand Plan - 2 hearts

Such a great concept. College kid organises a hook up with a stranger and it ends up being his dad's boss?!?! Awesome. However this story, like the previous one, did not set it up well.

Leo goes to a stranger's house for a rough/kinky fuck. He's told to put on a blindfold and get naked without seeing the man he'll have sex with, which he does. He gets a really rough fuck, like where his dick goes soft and he's in true pain. Then he takes off his blindfold to find his dad's boss and you know what he says when Leo asks if he'll tell his dad?

“Then I’d have to explain to him how I ruthlessly fucked his son so he would know that rough sex could be violent and painful for him and not want to be so stupid again in the future. No thanks.”

Yep, real stand up guy.

Anyway it takes them both about two seconds to try it for real, which they do. The scene wasn't bad, but it was rushed.

Hitachi’s New Assignment - 2 hearts

Ok I think this is going to be a running trend with these stories. They really just need to start with the sex and end with the sex because that character/relationship development is almost cringe worthy.

Hitachi is a police officer who has to pick up some rich kid from the airport and take him home. Apparently the kid's dad is trying to set him up with these police officers. The build up was virtually non existent and the dialogue was really stilted.

However, like the others the sex was hot. A bit of 'Officer’ role play with handcuffs, lots of dirty talk and some orgasm control. Then it was ruined by a 'forever’ type of connection *que another eye roll*.

On to the next story…. Here's hoping for a break in the pattern.


Timothy's First Rodeo - 1.5 hearts

Nope no such luck. This started out quite good with Adam rescuing Timothy from getting beaten up in his barn. After patching him up, Adam offers to let Timothy stay at his place to watch the rodeo on TV. All very nice and normal, then all of a sudden this older man (stranger danger) has his hand on the inside of Timothy's thigh…. Yeah…. Creep alert.

Then when this was said,

“You seem awfully eager to have sex with some guy you just met. Should I be worried about your mental state?”
“Only if you want a relationship . But this? A bit of sex isn’t a big deal.”

I was thinking, 'Yay maybe they will have a normal and appropriate HFN’, but... no! A few hours later Timothy is moving back to town to live with this man in a domestic discipline relationship.

Also Adam and Timothy's mum are like BFFs and talk all the time and that is a little weird….

“How long have you been planning this?”Timothy asked him.
“Planning to see if you’d want to be my sub?”
“Yes.”
“Since your mom told me how much trouble you were getting into out there on your own. She loves you, and I know you can be good, if only you have some guidance. I was going to wait to decide after spending some time with you here, but I was impulsive and wanted you right away. And now you’re mine, so it all worked out in the end anyway.”

Also much less sex in this installment, which is a shame considering that's the only part I liked.


Unfortunately these bunch of stories didn't work for me. There was no real character development, or characters who interested me in general. The concepts were great, hence why I requested it, but everything was played out too rushed with ridiculous happy ever afters.

Find on Goodreads!

Guest Review: Toys for Boys by K.D. Grace

Alpha nerd Will Charles teams up with Caridoc ‘Doc’ Jones in a coast to coast walk across England reviewing outdoor gift suggestions for the Christmas edition of Toys for Boys—an online magazine dedicated to the latest gadgets to tickle a man’s fancy. Will is recording their adventures with the latest smart phone technology. Doc is reviewing the latest outdoor gear. The two quickly discover the great outdoors provides even better toys for boys, toys best shared al fresco, toys that, in spite of Will’s great camera work, will never be reviewed in Toys for Boys.


Note: Toys for Boys has been previously published as part of the Brit Boys: With Toys boxed set.

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Will and Caradoc ‘Doc’ are both writers for a men's magazine. One is the outdoorsman, and the other the techie geek. Sent together on a coast to coast country walk across northern England, with new gadgets to record the trip. Things quickly take a kinky turn.

The story opens at a guesthouse with insufficient room left for the wet and weary travellers. An obliging writer offers to switch rooms for the night so the young men can room together. They repay the writer with an in-depth recounting of the trip so far, and eventually fuelled by food and wine, offer something of a live sex show!

This was a quick, sexy read about two guys making a trek together, and discovering that what they thought they knew about each other, wasn’t necessarily true.

The dialogue was adequate, and the scenery described beautifully. The characters are largely likeable but tended to let their orgasms do the talking! There was plenty of kink and a meaningful relationship blossoming by the end of the tale. I would have a loved a little insight into the life of the two men on returning to work in London. Would this be a happily ever after, or merely a happy for now?

This wasn’t my usual read, but was enjoyable nonetheless. If short, erotic new adult MM romance is your gig, this might just be the read for you.

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

Find on Goodreads!

Review: Limitless (The Underground Club #2) by S.J.D. Peterson

Even within the context of the Underground BDSM Club, Joshua’s desires are dark and extreme. Hopelessly addicted to pain and the high it gives him, he has no limits. Joshua would quite literally rather die than use a safeword, and he accepts that might be his fate. As much as he depends on others, he has yet to find a man who can gain his trust, and he has little hope that he ever will.

For Nash, acquiring Joshua from another Dom at the club is only the first step in what will be a long and arduous road to lure the young man back from the brink of self-destruction. He must do the impossible and win Joshua’s trust, and he must be the one to set limits in their exploration—something he’s unaccustomed to as a Dom. But Nash knows dominance doesn’t always mean pushing a submissive’s boundaries. It’s about establishing a bond and fulfilling another man’s needs. In Joshua’s case, he’ll have to strike a balance between meeting the young man’s expectations and drawing firm lines that will save Joshua from himself.

This ended up being very different to how I thought it would be. I was expecting an angsty healing story and it ended up being a big cuddle fest.

Not that that’s a bad thing, but I was constantly in anticipation for the inevitable shoe to be dropped and it never happened. I think this is largely to do with Nash being the prominent POV. He's so positive in his belief of Joshua and that made us, the readers, feel positive as well. The few times we were in Josh's head we saw his conflict about his self worth and trust in Nash, I would've liked to have had more of his POV to understand him better.


Joshua had a rough childhood and then was a full-time submissive to an abusive master. One of the biggest disappointments of this book was, we never found out what really went on between Josh and his Master. There are snippets divulged, but I never really understood what happened to make Joshua so desperate to escape his reality. And to escape his reality, Joshua uses pain… alot of it! That's where Nash comes in. He’s instantly drawn to Josh and when he hears that Josh has never safe-worded and doesn’t have any limits, he takes it upon himself to help Josh.


Nash was most definitely my favourite part of this book. He’s strong and supportive, he takes things at Josh’s pace yet doesn’t let him get complacent. It was really interesting seeing Nash’s read on Josh as they explored some basic scenes together. I liked how during their scenes Nash was vigilant of any indication that Josh may have actually reached a limit, even if he didn’t express it verbally.


The sex and BDSM scenes weren’t bad but they were fairly basic, a flogger here, a paddle there, maybe I’ve just read too many BDSM books, but I was expecting something more hardcore.


I also thought this ended way to abruptly, we were finally delving into Josh’s issues and how they were going to be worked through and then it ended. I needed much more of a conclusion for these two.


I would recommend this if you liked Override, it's a good sweet story with lots of comfort and little bit of hurt and absolutely no conflict. It really wasn't what I was hoping for though and therefore was a little bit of a disappointment.

Find on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

Tag Team Review: Victory Portrait (Pride of Uttor #4) by Tali Spencer

Imperial captive and former Sebboyan prince Peta Kordeun has one great wish: to meet Darius Arrento, conqueror of his country and a man he has idolized since childhood. That wish comes true the day the Uttoran emperor assigns Peta to assist the artist who will be painting the great general’s official portrait.

General Darius Arrento would rather take a crossbow bolt through his flesh than sit for a portrait, until his friend the emperor forces his hand. The notorious artist, Brazzi, uses semen and other sexual fluids to bind his colors—and Arrento is captivated by the artist’s pretty helper. Before long he is driven to possess the gorgeous young man who draws battle maps and whose naïve charm has won more hearts in Uttor than Arrento has won battles.

When Arrento learns that Peta, the slave he covets and wants for his own, is one of the despised Kordeun princes, he storms from Uttor toward a far corner of the empire—where he quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot to tear Uttor’s empire apart. His emotions and loyalties frayed, the great Arrento is in the battle of his life…and Peta may hold the key to his survival.

Combined and Averaged = 4.125 Hearts from the both of us

Ann/Peachy - 4.5 Hearts

There were so many things for me to love about this book. Tali Spencer does an amazing job of world building in a really organic way. I don’t feel like I need a schematic and a flashlight to figure out where I am and who is attached to, fighting or fucking whom. It just happens and I can enjoy all the nuances without taxing my brain or reversing and rereading to figure out WTF is going on. And there are a lot of great little nuances and golden sentences that I really love to read. Sentences like;

“That statement begged to be turned inside out and made to reveal its bones.”

So much impact for one little sentence. I really appreciated the flow of the language throughout and it fit the whole feel of Victory Portrait perfectly.

The first half of the book is incredibly erotic and full of deliciously exhibitionistic foreplay. There was plenty of information as to why Peta was in the social state he was in and why he was completely fine with sharing his fluids for Brazzi’s masterpiece of his hero Arrento. The whole thing was an interesting take on slave life in Uttor and how conquered royalty fit into the society. And, while I like slave fic just as much as the next Unicorn, I was glad Peta’s status played out like it did. He was, “the least enslaved slave that ever lived.” Given that these two didn’t know one another but admired greatly the bits they did, any kind of complete master/slave thing would have felt out of balance to me for the later relationship that starts to come together for them. The off balance social structure between captured royalty and the lower classes kept it all in balance in the end.

So, anyway, about the foreplay. Damn, that was fun. A sexually frustrated Arrento is a beautiful thing. A hard and horny Peta is even better. I really dug on the effect Peta had on Arrento and how flattered Arrento was by Peta’s reaction to him. I loved how Peta knew what he wanted and had no issues with going after Arrento in what could possibly be his only chance to get with his hero. He wasn’t about to let the chance get away from him and his incredibly leaky dick. Good on you Peta!
The second half of the book gave the characters the depth they needed to get me to believe there really could be something between them in the long run. Arrento didn’t easily let go of his feelings towards Peta’s family and understandably so. But, it’s a good thing he has a wise Emperor as a BFF in Gaspar. I love that guy. I was pretty enamored of all the secondary characters and they made me want to read the rest in the series. While this book is #4, it’s the first that I’ve read and I had no trouble keeping up considering all the backstory. And, like I said, this one really just made me want to devour the rest, especially Book 2, Dangerous Beauty, I need to know Endre’s story. And books 1 and 3 too. I basically need to know all the things now.

My only niggle was that I needed a little bit more balance between the erotic flavor of the first half and the more technical taste of the second half. The first half was all about the setup between Peta and Arrento, it was flirty, filthy and emotional. The second half was more focused on the whole of Uttor along with the politics and war that had been looming throughout. All of which I found very interesting and I absolutely loved the letters that Peta and Arrento exchanged. There isn’t much more romantic than evolving love letters. The HEA came along in a realistic and reasonable way considering Peta started the book as a slave. I really just wanted a detailed final consummation scene for them. And not just because I love gratuitous boning, because I do, but because I wanted to read about them coming together with their new statuses, without the labels attached to them like they were before. Peta was finally more than just a beautiful boy and Arrento was more than just a war hero.

Of all the great words, sentences and pearls of wisdom, I really loved this conversation between Gaspar and Arrento:

Hearts can overrule cocks, you know . . . except when the two join forces and then a man is lost forever. Be careful with your heart if ever it and your cock should meet and be both enraptured by a smile.

Arrento was completed enraptured by a smile from a beautiful boy in the end and I loved the journey they took to get there.

SheReadsALot - 3.75 Hearts

Art can be sexy.

Painting?

Sexy.

In Victory Portrait, the fourth standalone in the Pride of Uttor series, painting is very sexy.

How much? Fresh semen needed to add into the paint sexy.
Lusting for what seems like ages and finally getting to pound your the object of your desire into next week...with an audience kind of sexy.

"You dream about this, don't you? About taking cock inside you, of becoming one creature, one perfect holy creature, with the man who's fucking you--"
"God help me--"
"He already has."

In this new to me series, Tali Spencer has created a fantasy based world (no magic) filled with intrigue, captives, war, lust, family drama, backstabbing, maps and hero worship that turns into something more. Prince Peta's Sebboyan royal family was captured due to his tyrant king of a father and evil eldest brother by the empire of Uttor. He and his family are Uttoran imperial captives, slaves but due to their ranking they're the least slaved as a slave could get. It's a tricky situation and the author did a great job trying to show the balance. Peta has crushed on the great Uttoran general Sar Darius Arrento for years. The beautiful youth gets his wish to meet the older man who had a hand putting him into captivity as a notorious artist's assistant. Peta has to strip naked , have his semen collected to paint a specially commissioned painting of the general. Let's just say the sexual tension was sticky...

The story isn't only hot sex (though Arrento/Peta do give lava hot screen time), there is a political/double-crossing war antics. Potential triggers: off page rape of a secondary character. I'd say the second half focuses more on war and a suspense-ish secondary plot that introduces mythology and attempted crimes in an interesting mix.

"He was a lion, and he wanted another lion. He didn't have the patience to deal with snakes."

Thankfully, the story is told in alternating POV, I got a great sense of both men without it getting too deep. That was a great aspect of this story it would broach serious topics - captivity, being an orphan, coming from a religious/homophobic background and the story didn't get ugly. There was ample explanation for the author to get their point across.The main characters from the previous books were secondary characters in Victory Portrait and gave follow up/ a prequel to the couples. A lot happens in this 80K+ story.

The story's strongest point? The setting. This world the author created seemed very real, very lived in. There were a lot of side characters and mythology and different lands in this world, at some points it read like the never-ending story, since we kept reading about yet another land embattled with the mighty Uttor empire. Sometimes a new character and their purpose would go right over my head. But I was able to grasp the main plot points and follow along with the central theme without being lost.

The main couple added the needed spice to carry this story along. Reading Arrento's struggle with wanting to bed his emperor's slave was endearing. Arrento wasn't all unicorns and rainbows though. He stormed off but thankfully didn't have a major meltdown because he listened sooner than later. There was a separation period and lasted months, maybe a year? The way the men courted each other was sweet. The sexy first half isn't recaptured in the second half. It's more about the whodunit plot with a romantic background.

"Is that cock of yours still talking? Didn't you vow to Chasca to stop listening to it?"
"After that boy in Dalmeri and barely escaping with my skin intact? My cock has gotten wiser since then."
"Cocks don't get wise," Gaspar said. "Their masters get wise enough to overrule them."

I have to talk a little about the artist Brazzi and his wild and crazy way of needing semen to create his art. He helped bring some comedic relief. And a little CBT. ;D

I was happy with the ending, wouldn't have minded a little bit more on the reunion. I did have a few questions - what happened with Imre? what will become of Adora's child? I didn't have to read the previous books but I really want to now. I was fully immersed in this world and was sad to leave it by the end.

Arrento and Peta remained true to themselves and didn't change, even if they started with a little subterfuge enemies to lovers. I liked that they explained themselves once the hidden identity was revealed. And Peta wasn't a lovesick, puppy dog following his crush for scraps. He was his own man just in every sense as Arrento did. Great couple. Totally think they'll last.

Recommended for fantasy lovers who like erotic scenes, war/political intrigue and some fun times.

Check out on Goodreads!

Review: Stray by Kari Gregg

With a lycan father, a human mother, and the human side of his genetic makeup dominant, Luke left his birth pack to try living among humans, but he felt awkward and uncomfortable isolated from the culture that raised him. He’s still searching for where he fits in.

After losing his family in a vicious attack, Dean rebuilt his pack by accepting loners, rejects, other survivors, and even ferals. He and his ragtag group of strays made a warm and welcoming home.

Luke believes he’s finally found where he belongs. Meddling parents and a neighbor who isn’t as human as he seems won’t sway him. Luke wants Dean to take in one last stray...him.

Content Warning: Shifter knotting/tying, mating heats (yes, plural), and jerky!

"The human," Dean said, rubbing his cum into Luke's ass cheeks, "is mine."

I have now returned to The Gregg's Planet Fuckatron. All unicorn bot systems engaged.

If you're not familiar with The Gregg, know she writes erotica really, really well. And if non-con & dub-con are your kind of kink, she really excels in writing those kinks.

But...there is none of that in her latest, Stray. Triggers: past abuse (off page)

If I had to describe Stray in few words: softer erotica in a alternate universe/paranormal world where werewolves are known.

And KNOTTING.

Ahem, KNOTTING with lycan penis that is always hard. Did I just hear simultaneous grunts through the screen?

Set in Maryland, Luke is a thirty-six year old human/lycan hybrid accountant who is short, a little paunchy in the middle area and tired of fitting in the human world. He checked out a local pack known for taking in strays and he wants to be their latest one. Luke has hangups but he bravely enters on territory he might get run off since the pack's leader has a horrific past with humans. But nature doesn't care about potential problems. You see the blurb. *leers*

Stray has good characters, the most developed were Luke and Jeremy, Luke's neighbor. The story explains a lot about werewolf society and how they survive in modern day USA. While helpful, the story came across as info dumpy in parts. And The Gregg can set up suspense and great thrillers. Stray is more about explaining the world and the other parts include a mating couple who possibly have crosses to bear.

I think the problem with this story was the plot was underdeveloped. It had potential - pack-born human who was getting over past abuse, touch starved and human enough to live in human society meets lycan who doesn't trust humans and had some of the worse crimes committed against his family and land. It could have been mega angst central. But not so. This was closer to romantic, definitely softer. It was more about courting and mating. It didn't really expand on either men getting over their baggage, or striving how to learn one another. It was more like - move in, sex, mating, done.

Strongest parts? 

The dialogue when it did finally happen in between the explanation was good, at some parts really great. The entire dialogue between Luke, his mother, and Jeremy about their sex lives? Comedic gold. I felt for Luke especially when his mother started to discuss her vagina and lube. Just...yeah. Moving on!

The world created was super interesting. Werewolves live in modern America where prejudice is heavy. There are rights on paper for anti-discrimination but it depends on the part of the country you live in to expect it actually followed. And even if it is, their rights are still tentative in a human dominated world. While on one hand the story is heavy handed with explaining just about all the history of werewolves, it also was a great idea. As usual, the world Gregg created would be a place I'd love to revisit, maybe with one of those ferals? (I won't hold my breath)

The smut was hot as hell.

"You're a skittish little thing for a pack-born human.""Nervous.""You should be nervous. Undress."

It hit my kinks: exhibitionist sex (lycans don't care where they fuck or who is there) and KNOTTING. Lots of semen, swollen holes and growling. Hot. So while the story isn't in my Gregg favorites *coughs* I, Omega, Pretty Poison, that really long title with space cats*coughs*, the erotica is worth a gander. Dean was a considerate patriarch (alpha) of his pack. And it also applied to his mate. He fucked Luke thoroughly. Put that permaboner to great use but never let his wolf behavior dictate how he treated Luke.

The ending was kinda expected, so it didn't really surprise. Usually, I'm left with wanting more at a Gregg story ending. This one it wasn't as urgent.

Still hot though.

Because KNOTTING.

And since the strongest parts were favorable, I'll go with the higher end of my 3-3.5 Hearts rating range.

Check out on Goodreads or Booklikes!