Audiobook Review: Fairy and Impartial (Starfig Investigation #4) by Meghan Maslow

All Twig Starfig wants is to settle into mated life with his wizard and be a good leader to his clan. No drama. No heartache. A happily-ever-after fit for a dragon. Or half-dragon, at any rate. 

Instead, Twig and Quinn get roped into a new case involving missing orc stones. Yes, those really are a thing. Twig’s dad is on the PR warpath...again. Quinn's little brother can't seem to stop pining over their housemate. Someone - or something - seems to be following them. And getting quality time alone with his wizard is more difficult than keeping one’s virginity at an incubus party. 

To make matters worse, Twig's old enemies start dropping like fairyflies, and they find themselves smack in the middle of an inconvenient murder investigation with a certain red fury as the main suspect. With everyone in Lighthelm convinced of Bill’s guilt - and by Twig’s association - Starfig Investigations is on the case.

Is there no one in the Elder Realm who’s fairy and impartial?

Narrated by Greg Boudreaux

Listening Length: 10 hours, 45 minutes

I feel a little bit like a broken record but truly, this series seems to just get better. Each one makes me excited for the next to see what's in store for Twig, Quinn and their ever-expanding clan/family. And make no mistake, they are a family who gets messy sometimes and fights; they care enough about each other to tell the truth and don't pull punches and I couldn't love them more.

Maslow blends romance and adventure expertly. She intelligently weaves in important social justice issues without beating me over the head with them. What's more, these adventures are fun! And what can I say about Boudreaux that hasn't already been said countless times before? Simply put, he brings all of these characters to life. I can't conceive of anyone else telling these tales or bringing Twig et al. alive other than him.

Twig is one of my favorite characters; he's grumpy and ornery with a gooey center especially when it comes to his mate which appeals to me on so many levels. I love when the grumps find themselves having caught feelings.

Twig and Quinn are still over the moon for each other and finding it difficult to carve out "quality time" since their happy abode is bursting with stray clan members they keep picking up along the way. However, this frees up time to help out their resident red furry, Bill, get out of the pickle he finds himself in that drives this installment.

Of course, this takes them all over and even to some familiar stomping grounds. Catching up with these people/creatures is always fun, like catching up with old friends and meeting the new ones who make each installment that much more enjoyable. I'm looking at you, Dandy. 

However, there are questions left unanswered about multiple characters that I'm now excited and nervous to find out the endgame. Excited for the possibilities and nervous thinking about how long I may have to wait to get said answers.

Regardless, I would HIGHLY recommend this series to fantasy fans who like their stories uptempo. 

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

Re-Release Blitz + Giveaway: Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings (Fire & Flutter #1) by Bailey Bradford

Author Bailey Bradford and Pride Publishing visit to host re-release blitz for, Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings (Fire & Flutter #1)! Read more about the first in the fantasy series and enter in the giveaway for a chance to win a fabulous gift package and a FREE Bailey Bradford romance book!

Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings
Bailey Bradford

Book 1 in the Fire & Flutter series

General Release Date: 26th January 2021

Word Count: 58,252
Book Length: NOVEL
Pages: 252
Genres: EROTIC ROMANCE. FANTASY, GAY, GLBTQI

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Book Description

When one fairy with a faulty memory meets a snarky dragon, the supernatural world will never be the same.

Griff was born a Love fairy, but he never quite fitted in. He didn’t want to be part of a harem…at least he didn’t think so. What with his wings gone and his memory damaged, he can’t be certain of what he felt in the past. All he does know is he wants his wings back. Without them, he’s grounded.

Blaze is a dragon shifter who tends to stick his foot in his mouth—and some other parts in other places—when he really shouldn’t. His brother’s the king, and his sister-in-law is scary. Blaze’s last screw-up got him grounded, unable to shift into his dragon form. His punishment seems harsh to him, but there's no escaping it.

When the Love fairies come to the castle to work on forming an alliance, Blaze has about had it with guarding the horny beings, and he's disappointed that they don’t stay small and cute. Swatting at something buzzing him, he almost starts an inter-species war when it turns out to be a fairy on a dragonfly.

And from that snarky first meeting between Griff and Blaze, something wonderful, and dangerous, will come…

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released elsewhere. It has been revised and reedited for re-release with Pride Publishing.

Excerpt

Blaze rubbed his shoulder where it still ached. He’d been lucky the whip had only caught him a glancing blow, otherwise he’d really be in pain.

Of course, even being whipped would be better than his punishment of not being allowed to fly. Or shift. Being stuck in the puny human form and dependent on two scrawny legs just sucked troll balls.

That imagery almost made Blaze gag. Trolls smelled really bad, worse than the dragon dumping grounds—and if anyone needed an explanation for what that area was, they didn’t have a nose.

Plus, trolls were ugly. It was part of them being trolls and all. They also tended to have large, pendulous balls that swung down close to their ankles.

Blaze did gag then, pressing a hand against his stomach. He had to get his mind out of the troll gutter.

“Hey, freak, heard you got your powers taken away, all for a piece of ass.”

Blaze glared at Bort. “Oh, yeah. Your dad wasn’t worth it.”

“My—” Bort’s eyes glowed red, and smoke gusted from his nostrils. “I’ll bake you, you fucking freak!”

Blaze kept his trembling inside. He’d learned not to show any fear to bullies. “Go ahead. King Fyre will be thrilled with you. You’ll look great on a spit.”

“You think just ’cause your brother’s the king means…”

Blaze arched an eyebrow at Bort—which he knew looked cool, because he’d practiced it until he had it perfected and he knew how awesome that one arched eyebrow thing was. “It pretty much means he’ll toast you if you lay a hand on me.”

The only reason the guy who’d hit Blaze with a whip wasn’t dead was because Blaze had kind of deserved it. Kind of, because he hadn’t known Valdez was married to another man. Otherwise, Blaze wouldn’t have fucked him. Probably. Blaze’s morals were questionable at times, but only because he was so desperate for someone to touch him.

“Right, whatever,” Bort drawled. “You’ll probably cook yourself anyway and save all the good dragons the trouble. Crazy Blazy.” He cackled and flipped Blaze off with both hands.

Probably with his toes, too, but Blaze didn’t think to check. Instead he watched enviously as Bort shifted into a gorgeous teal and gold dragon.

Bort blew a stream of fire right past Blaze’s head, then flapped his mighty wings and flew off. A rancid scent lingered in the air.

Blaze sighed and touched his hair that Bort had just singed. Everyone was going to think he’d done that to himself—again. Even though he was grounded, assumptions would be made that he’d done something stupid to burn his own hair, and rumors would fly. He’d have to worry about that later, if at all. Right now, he had to deal with a bully. Blaze really missed being able to shoot flames.

It was true that he couldn’t control his fire, and he could be dangerous. He hadn’t killed anyone on accident, yet, though. “Sheesh.” Blaze sniffed and fanned the air around him. It was no use. The smell was on his head. He could fan all day, and it wouldn’t make any difference.

Resigned to walking all the way back to his nest—which meant heading through the center of the dragon city, since he could no longer fly—Blaze prepared himself for the looks and murmurs. People would be talking about him more than usual today. He ought to be used to such stuff, but the truth was, it always hurt.

Even so, when he heard the buzz of conversations around him, Blaze held his head up high, despite the burnt hair. He hoped everyone gossiping about him got a snoot full of the noxious odor.

* * * *

“Where did I put my shoes?” Griff fluttered as much as a fairy without wings could as he looked for his soft purple shoes. Surprisingly, he could flutter a lot, although that translated into gestures with his hands and much twitching on his behalf.

“Did Egregio eat them?” Gia asked, hovering above him.

Griff glared at her. “Could you maybe not do that? I already feel like a complete loser without my wings.” Who knew they could be knocked off you? Griff hadn’t, and it’d come as a shock to the other fairies in his frolic. Of course, Love fairies weren’t exactly brainiacs. They were more into the sensual than the mental. For brains, people looked to the Genius fairies, though good luck to anyone wanting help from those snobs. They didn’t speak to anyone with an IQ under one-sixty—which left out most of the magic world.

“Sorry.” Gia floated down and grimaced. “Ick. How can you tolerate standing all the time? My legs don’t like it. It’s work. It’s so much easier to fly, or—” She smirked.

“Don’t go there.” Griff knew his own kind through and through. As a Love fairy, he shouldn’t be bothered by hearing about his sister’s sexual escapades. Maybe he was just jealous. “Keep your sordid stories to yourself.”

Gia crossed her eyes at him. “Please. How did a prude get hatched into our frolic?”

“I’ve asked myself that a thousand times,” Griff muttered. “Aha!”

“Aha what?”

Griff knelt and stuck his hand under his bed, then reached farther. “I swear to the gods, Egregio, if you bite me, I will feed you to the dragons.”

“Rawr!” It sounded more like a whine than not.

Griff ducked his head and looked at the catterwaul under his bed. Much like the human-world cat except with two legs and large, hairy toes, and fangs the size of Griff’s index fingers, the beast was rather fierce-looking.

“I’m not joking. Last time you bit me, it got infected. You’re lucky I didn’t toss you out then.”

Beady red eyes glowed at him. “Rawr rawr rawr.”

“Yeah, you’re sorry now.” Griff wiggled his fingers. “Give me my shoes.”

The purple shoes were tossed at him while Egregio continued to vocalize.

“I know, I know, they’re pretty. That’s why I like them, too. Now if you’re good, and you keep the dung beetles away for a whole week, I’ll see about getting you your own shoes.” Catterwauls were great to have as long as they were loyal. Sometimes they forgot that, though.

A few more rawrs and Griff was pretty sure he had his catterwaul vowing to fight off the shiny green beetles that migrated through the area on the way to the dragon dumping grounds. Griff hoped so. The buzz of beetle wings always left him with serious headaches as well as memories of the worst time in his life.

“Okay, got my shoes on, Gia. Now we can go…” Griff spun around, looking for his sister, but no. She had left the mushroom’s interior at some point. “Great. Great! Now how am I going to find my way to where my wings might be?”

Griff couldn’t remember things like he should have been able to. The hit he’d taken from a human’s fly swatter had cracked his skull, knocked off his wings and almost killed him. His memory hadn’t been right ever since, but he was lucky to even be alive.

Although the term lucky was relative. If he couldn’t find his wings, what point would there be to life?

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About the Author

Bailey Bradford

A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn't happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey's brain demanding to be let out.

Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey's office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey's presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

You can follow Bailey on Facebook here and Twitter here.

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Enter to win a fabulous gift package and a FREE Bailey Bradford romance book!

Bailey Bradford's Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings

BAILEY BRADFORD IS GIVING AWAY THIS FABULOUS PRIZE TO ONE LUCKY WINNER. ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A LOVELY GIFT PACKAGE AND GRAB YOUR FREE BAILEY BRADFORD ROMANCE BOOK! Notice: This competition ends on 9th February 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.

Review: His Fairy Prince (Tit for Tat #2) by J.S. Harker

A trick of fairy magic becomes a romantic treat.

Halloween is fantasy-loving college senior Greg’s favorite holiday, and he’s thrilled to explore a spooky puzzle—even if his friends prefer slashers over witchcraft. Luckily the gorgeous and otherworldly Alaric wants to sneak time alone with him. Unluckily Greg’s sworn off hookups. Still reeling from an intoxicating kiss, Greg opens a secret door…

…and steps through a portal to the enchanted realm Alaric is destined to rule.

Stranded with the alluring Greg, Alaric sets off across his kingdom with the man who might be the consort he’s always wanted. It won’t be easy—Alaric’s ex, the Lord of Spiders, wants to reunite with Alaric—but if Greg and Alaric succeed, they’ll find what they’ve always wanted: a place to belong.

Featuring a light Halloween theme, this was classic Beyond fare.


Just like the blurb says, Greg and his friends are doing an escape room, a business that Alaric owns. The immediate attraction is palpable, but there’s a bit of a roadblock. Greg is on a self imposed romance sabbatical, needing to concentrate on college and not get distracted by random hookups and the ensuing drama when someone else inevitably catches his eye. Apparently, Greg has a problem with keeping it in his pants, and though his “little Greg” wants Alaric, he tries to spare both of them the potential heartache that is sure to ensue.


What Greg doesn’t know of course, is that Alaric is an actual fairy prince who’s biding his time in the human world until his mother retires her throne. Alaric’s had his eye out for a potential human paramour because one would be so much better as a consort than his fellow manipulative scheming peeps. Greg’s hesitance is only fuel to the fire, and Alaric’s certainly up for the task.


Naturally, circumstance and maybe a bit of fairy magic allow Greg to stumble into the fairy kingdom, a situation that he can’t seem to get out of and thus, requires Alaric’s help to get back home. Thing is, Greg’s readily enamored of his new reality, not to say the least that Alaric is all the more appealing now that he knows the truth. Can these two come to trust their feelings and each other before crazy complex fairy rules tear them apart?


Again, this is tried and true for this DSP Beyond line. For those who need to know, this sequel can be read as a standalone as the only thing bridging books 1 and 2 is that they each have a fairy MC.


What I enjoyed was when Greg and Alaric were facing their many challenges and adventures in the fairy kingdom. What failed for me a bit was just the overall set up and progression, Greg’s personal history, and my expectations in wanting something a bit more complex. However, that’s on me and not the book.


Regardless, this continues with the strong NA vibe, has a scheming ex-boyfriend, a fish out of water trope, and a nice dollop of smexy, all topped off with the guy getting his prince and winning that coveted happily ever after. Enjoy!

Giveaway + Release Blitz: The Midspring Rebellion by Doreen Heron

Celebrate the release of The Midspring Rebellion with author Doreen Heron and Indigo Promotions. Find out more about this fantasy romance, read an excerpt and enter in the giveaway for a $10 Ninestar Press credit! Good luck!

Title: The Midspring Rebellion

Author: Doreen Heron

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: July 22, 2019

Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 25100

Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, fairies, royalty, magic, mythical creatures

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Synopsis

Things are amiss in the fairy court, made worse one spring morning when King Oberon’s wife decides to leave him. His decision to gather his thoughts in the human realm lead him into the path, and arms, of workaholic human Nick Chandler. But when Oberon’s throne is threatened, will he be able to retain his kingship and his newfound love?

Excerpt

The Midspring Rebellion
Doreen Heron © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One
As it always did, the Wheel of the Year continued to turn.

Midsummer turned to Midfall.

Midfall to Midwinter.

Midwinter to Midspring.

The seasons changed. The years changed. But life in the Fairy Court remained the same.

And this left Titania dissatisfied.

“It is time for a change,” she announced one evening over dinner. Oberon had known something was wrong the moment she dismissed the waiting staff. It had been over three hundred years since they had eaten alone, and even that was because Titania had wanted to discuss the idea of adopting another Changeling. Not that the idea had gone anywhere, of course. Oberon had learned his lesson about taking human children long before that, and he had not been keen to repeat the experiment. It was natural, then, that he held his breath when Titania spoke, and he waited for whatever she was about to decide. “We have become stale.”

Oberon found it impossible to disagree. Being married for a millennium was certainly an accomplishment by anyone’s count—especially when fairy marriages were annulled and then voluntarily renewed on an annual basis. But one thousand years of an arranged marriage was going above and beyond in his royal duties, of this, he was sure.

“What do you propose?” he asked, not entirely sure he wanted an answer. A separation from Titania might allow them both to pursue other interests, but there was no denying that a split in the Royal Court could rip the whole of his already unstable kingdom in half.

“A separation.”

He nodded. He’d known where this was going, and he couldn’t say he was particularly unhappy about it. But he had questions.

“Why now? We’ve been living this same way these last three hundred years. Why propose this now?”

“It is the best possible time. The kingdom is at risk of civil war…”

“…Which is exactly why we should be united.”

“Or is it why this is the ideal time for a split? We would not want to needlessly disrupt harmony in the kingdom. Ergo, if we split while there are already fractures…”

“…we guarantee a split in the kingdom.”

“We hurry along a split we already know is coming.”

Oberon closed his eyes and shook his head. Titania had always been ruthlessly logical. It was one of the reasons his father had chosen her as a perfect mate, and—more importantly—a future queen.

“But…”

“I have met someone else.”

Well, that was the clincher, wasn’t it?

“I have fallen in love.”

“Love?” Oberon frowned at his queen, unsure of exactly what he was hearing. “What of love? We are a king and a queen. Love need play no part in anything.”

“Oberon, even the mortals have abandoned that way of thinking now. It is time for us to catch up.”

Oberon grunted. It pained him to hear Titania speak of love. She’d not as much as breathed the word in five hundred years, not since his trick to cause her to fall for the human Bottom.

“This love. It is not the human, is it?” he asked. “The actor.” His voice dripped with venom as he spoke, though he himself wasn’t sure if he was jealous that she had fallen with such ease or angry that his own magic had been the cause.

“Oberon, humans lead short lives. Bottom died many, many years ago.”

“Then who?”

This time, it was Titania’s turn to shake her head, causing blossoms of pink and orange to fall from her hair and hit the ground.

“Not important,” she said. She stood and pushed her chair back under the oak table, before walking delicately over and taking her husband’s left hand. “I release you.” She smiled. She turned a hand over and undid the leather strap that was tied at his palm. “I release you.” She unwound the leather from his hand, uncrossing the straps that worked up his forearm. “I release you.” She pulled the leather from his bicep, taut with the tension and stress running through his body. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Good luck to you, Oberon.”

He stood at the window of his tower, having vanished the glass to get a better look at what was going on. He watched as Titania loaded her trunks onto the glass chariot. He watched as a male fairy, face obscured by some of Titania’s trickery to stop him from being identified, helped to pile the heavier pieces of furniture. He watched as the two of them climbed into the chariot, and as the dragonflies took flight, pulling it into the woods and out of sight.

He thought he should shout. He thought he should swear. He thought he should cry. But he found himself empty. For a thousand years, he had known he could be temperamental or selfish or immature and Titania would always be by his side. Because she had had to. They had vows. But she had met someone better than him, and she was gone.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Ultimately, he chose to do what many do when they find themselves bereft, and he began to prepare himself for bed. He removed his emerald-green robes and ran a damp washcloth across his torso. His muscles contracted at the cold, tightening and becoming more defined than they usually were when hidden beneath his loose robes. Usually, he enjoyed the feeling of his tightening body, but even that was little comfort in the light of being left alone. He unwrapped the leather strap that ran across his waist—a symbol of his perpetual commitment to his kingdom—and draped it across the wooden dressing table. He dipped the washcloth in the water again before removing his loincloth and washing the rest of his body. It was only right to be clean before entering the kingdom of the DreamWeaver, and he was not about to abandon formality and politesse just because he would be alone in his bed tonight. Naked, but dry after patting the water away with a towel, he knelt by his bed.

“I give thanks to the earth, which bore me and gave me life. I give thanks to the great unknown, who guides me and shapes my fate. I give thanks to my ancestors, from whom I descend and for whom I live a life which is not mine, but which belongs to my subjects. These are my thanks.”

He stood and climbed into bed, pulling his mouse pelt blankets over him, and curled up into a ball. Scrunching his eyes together, he willed himself to sleep. It didn’t come easily, as visions of Titania and her paramour danced through his head, but eventually he found himself drifting off.

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Meet the Author

Doreen Heron is a writer who is finally living her dream in Cornwall, England. She is lucky to live in the county she loves, and to be using her writing to entertain her readers.

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Review: Prince of Air and Darkness (The Darkest Court #1) by M.A. Grant

Phineas Smith has been cursed with a power no one could control. 

Roark Lyne is his worst enemy and his only hope.

The only human student at Mather’s School of Magick, Phineas Smith has a target on his back. Born with the rare ability to tap into unlimited magick, he finds both Faerie Courts want his allegiance—and will do anything to get it.

They don’t realize he can’t levitate a feather, much less defend the Faerie Realm as it slips into civil war.

Unseelie Prince Roark Lyne, Phineas’s roommate—and self-proclaimed arch nemesis—is beautiful and brave and a pain in the ass. Phineas can’t begin to sort through their six years of sexual tension masquerading as mutual dislike. But Roark is also the only one able to help Finn tame his magick.

Trusting Roark’s mysterious motives may be foolish; not accepting his temporary protection would be deadly.

Caught in the middle of the impending war, Phineas and Roark forge a dangerous alliance. And as the walls between them crumble, Phineas realizes that Roark isn’t the monster he’d imagined. But their growing intimacy threatens to expose a secret that could either turn the tide of the war…or destroy them both.

Kind of a mixed bag.

I didn't hate it but there were a few things that left me feeling confused, things about the plot and/or world building that I could never reconcile.

For instance, Finn has been attending Mather’s School of Magick for the past SIX YEARS and cannot control said magic? At all.

That seems like a no brainer from a school with School of Magick in the title, doesn't it? I guess I kind of had Hogwarts in mind with objective being to train its students how to both control and utilize their powers. But this school seems to be like a any other university only with various paranormal people attending and primarily focused on forging alliances between pantheons. OK. But I still don't get why Finn was admitted since he's human.

At first I thought it was so he would be protected from random underworld beings that are trying get to him for his power which would also kill him, but...

All sorts of nasties are all over him like white on rice which "forces" his nemesis and roommate, Roark, to come to his rescue. Repeatedly.

The flip side of this uneven world building is the creatures that pop up are vivid and... pretty disgusting, TBH. The skirmishes Finn and Roark find themselves in are entertaining and they do make a good team.

I've no idea why it took them SIX YEARS to discover that they made a good team, but let me not beat the dead horse.

Roark being the Prince of Air and Darkness and the second son of the Unseelie queen is not only powerful but extremely cunning. At first he seems to be harboring a grudge against Finn for some reason but as the story unfolds we begin to learn that beneath his urbane and fractious exterior beats the heart of a man deeply and completely in love, a man who has made the ultimate sacrifice for his beloved.

Yeah, pretty swoony.

The romance and chemistry between them is solid. Had the enemies portion of the narrative lasted longer I would've been in hog heaven.

I guess I had it in my head that the next book would focus on Finn and Roark too since there were things that developed that left me wanting, but it appears the next book is focused on a different couple in which case I'm a bit disappointed by the ending. It felt rushed and though I liked the resolution I like my couples to couple a bit before The End.

Parts of the world building are good, parts of the plot are good and the overall romance is pretty satisfying but the whole could've been stronger. Perhaps it gets stronger as the series evolves. I could be interested in continuing the series; however, my opinions are my own and YMMV.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Tit for Tat by J.S. Harker

Cold has never been so hot.

College sophomore Derek is busy working over his holiday break—but his shifts at the toy store are no hardship if they mean more opportunity to dream about the sexy new guy working as an elf in Santa’s Workshop. When his mother gifts him a bag of cookies, Derek regifts them to Flynn as an excuse to get to know him. Flynn has presents to offer as well, and soon they’re dating, with Derek finding out his comfort zone is bigger than he imagined.

But Flynn is hiding a secret—he’s really a winter fairy whose magic is bound to the season. He can’t stay in the mortal realm, and Derek doesn’t want to lose contact with his family. Can they find a way to hold on to each other when the snow and sugar plums melt away?

A wintery DSP Beyond story that was fluffy and cute!

Insecure, forever nice guy Derek, doesn't really have a confident bone in his body. Derek’s trying to move on from a bad break up and so terribly wants to approach the hot elf working across the mall at Santa’s Corner, but he knows he just doesn’t have the charm nor the looks to catch such a catch! However, Flynn isn’t your average guy. He’s actually a fairy secretly visiting the fascinating dangerous human world, and he sees something special in the shy Derek.

This was whimsical and sweet as these two get to know each other. Flynn is definitely a fish out of water, completely naive about humans but equally enchanted and wary. He’s literal to a fault which makes him quite an endearing character as he wins the heart of Derek and falls in love at the same time. Thing is, it’s not so easy for fairies to remain on this side of the veil indefinitely, and Flynn just might lose his magic should he choose to stay.

This definitely had strong NA vibes, featured a virgin, and contained some good dashes of newbie smexy thrown in. Overall, easy enjoyable reading as it wrought out a seemingly impossible to achieve happy ending which of course, made me happy in turn!

ARCs were provided by the publisher in exchange for honest reviews.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Bones and Bourbon by Dorian Graves

Carnivorous unicorn you say? Check out today's release blitz for Bones and Bourbon from author Dorian Graves and IndiGo Marketing! Learn more about the QUILTBAG urban fantasy today and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title:  Bones and Bourbon

Author: Dorian Graves

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: April 23, 2018

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 102000

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Ace, bisexual, trans, faeries, dark, immortals

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Synopsis

Half-huldra Retz Gallows is having an awful day. First, he wakes up in the middle of driving to who-knows-where with an angry unicorn head in his passenger seat. This is almost normal, thanks to a lifetime of sharing a body with Nalem, a bone-controlling spirit with a penchant for wicked schemes and body-stealing joyrides. It’s probably a bad idea to ask what else could go wrong.

Jarrod Gallows left home with plans to rescue his little brother from possession. Instead, he got saddled with a dead-end job as a paranormal investigator, a Faerie curse, and a daredevil boyfriend who might be from another world. At least he’s got a new job—except why is his brother Retz here and why does this sudden reunion feel more like a bane than a blessing?

This day’s going to get worse for the Gallows brothers before it gets better. To survive, they’ll have to escape the forces controlling them, as well as the wrath of carnivorous unicorns, otherworldly realms, and even their own parents. Only time will tell if they’ll make it out alive…or sober.

Excerpt

Bones and Bourbon
Dorian Graves © 2018
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One: Retz
I woke up right when the teeth clamped down on my arm, which made me crank the wheel and almost ram into a guardrail before I realized I was driving. Neither of these things surprised me because it wasn’t the first time I’d woken up just in time to feel the hurt for whatever it was I’d unconsciously done.

What did surprise me was the identity of my attacker: a lone unicorn head. No body to speak of, just flaring nostrils, bloodshot eyes, and two rows of long, sharp teeth that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a shark.

I did the stupid thing and kept driving while I tried to shake the unicorn head off me. Why? Because I’m Retz Gallows, and I’d learned by then that even if I had no idea what I was doing when I woke up, I needed to get the job done first and ask what the fuck happened later.

I focused on the teeth that had broken through my skin (and my favorite shirt to boot) and were just striking my arm bones. My first order of business was strengthening my skeleton so the unicorn’s jaw couldn’t snap anything in half. It took just a few seconds for the bones to fortify, heavier but sturdy as stone. The unicorn gnawed my arm as if it were a chew toy. It snorted in confusion, both because of the sudden change and the fact that there was no blood or muscles in the way.

In case such wasn’t obvious, I’m not human. Well, not all the way. My father was a man of flesh, blood, and too many weapons hidden on him at any given time. But my mother was a huldra; her body was hollow, but she could still punch hard enough to stop a truck in its tracks. I’d seen her do it before too, though sadly, I hadn’t inherited nearly the same strength.

I imagined how nice it’d be if the unicorn’s teeth were fragile enough to crumble. As I did, bits of teeth stayed buried in my arm as the pieces fell apart, and the unicorn’s head fell unceremoniously into the passenger seat.

No, I hadn’t inherited the ability to control bones, even though sensing them was as natural to me as seeing and hearing. It’s a power my family wishes I’d never been given. But since I was pretty sure the unicorn head was no longer a threat, I decided it was time to ask the source of my powers what was going on.

“Nalem, you’d better not be asleep. Mind telling me where the hell we are?”

A deep, smooth voice purred an answer back in my head, “If you had bothered to look at the sign we just passed, you’d realize we’re in Oregon.”

“In case you didn’t notice, I was a bit preoccupied.”

A chuckle reverberated in my skull, and I felt the false sensation of my arms stretching, the ghost of Nalem’s actions. “Of course I did. I can tell when you’re borrowing my powers—and besides, who do you think left the head in here in the first place?”

I rounded another corner as the aforementioned head tried to headbutt my arm, horn-first. I realized I couldn’t affect the horn with my powers—it wasn’t quite bone, but something more magical that slipped away from my senses whenever I tried. So I just hardened my bones again and ignored the attack as I took in the scenery. True enough, we were on a half-paved road in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by evergreens that tried to block out the bright blue sky. It was late July, so deep into summer that not even Oregon’s fondness of rain kept the heat away. My windows were rolled down, seeing as the AC in my ancient Buick had died out long ago.

“Two questions, then. Where are we going, and why do we have a unicorn head with us?”

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Meet the Author

Much like Sasquatch and other local cryptids, Dorian Graves can supposedly be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. Few have ever seen Dorian, but investigators have found trails of plot notes scribbled on receipt paper if they followed the distant sounds of old Blue Öyster Cult albums long enough. There have also been reports of Dorian lurking around the Mills College campus in Oakland, CA, where Dorian was last seen scurrying away with a B.A. in English/Creative Writing. Dorian occasionally crawls out of the woodworks with offerings of fiction, strange and fantastical stories with equal parts humor and horror, but often retreats quickly unless bribed with coffee and bad puns.

When not writing or working “the other day job,” Dorian lives with a romantic partner and a mischievous cat. Dorian Graves can be convinced to sit still if given art supplies, games of all sorts, or a selection from the ever-growing TBR pile. Dorian can be more reliably found on www.doriangraves.com, where one can find artwork, fiction, and whatever inane topic Dorian feels like rambling about this week.

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Giveaway

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Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Giveaway - Barbara Elsborg

Today we have a high fantasy fic from Barbara Elsborg WITH A UNICORN! #winning 
Be sure to enter the giveaway for a backlist ebook too. Good luck!

The Choice

When Jago walked into the warehouse, every face turned his way and no one looked happy to see him. He’d been handed the intriguing party invitation in the street along with an electric smile from a tall, dark haired stranger.

Fantastical Costume Party.

Dress to surprise.

He had. With his long, white blond hair Jago looked different whatever he wore but he’d donned an almost translucent robe over tight silver pants, put on star earrings, a metal choker and his horn. God, I love my horn. It was a pain to get it to sit properly on his head but it looked so cool.

Everyone in the place wore amazing costumes but they still looked pissed off with him and he hadn’t even done anything. He curled his toes in his boots to stop himself running.

Fuck this. I am running.

Before he could, silver chains encircled his body and he was spun round to see the guy who’d invited him. The city suit had been replaced by an elaborate long jacket, huge golden wings and scaly clawed hands with sharp red nails. But at least he was smiling. Jago had wanted something different to happen in his life and here it was. Correction, here he was.

“I came,” Jago said.

The guy laughed. “Already?”

Jago’s face burned.
“I’m Dev.”

“Jago.”

“I know.”

The guy hadn’t taken his eyes off him. His smile widened as he took in Jago’s horn. “A rare creature.”

Jago’s cock hardened. He felt as if he was being consumed. He wanted to be consumed.

“Your costume’s great,” Jago mumbled.

Dev turned him and wrapped his arms around him. The hard of press of Dev’s cock against his arse made Jago’s heart pound.

“It’s not a costume,” Dev said.

What?

Dev hissed and those who’d been approaching backed off. Jago exhaled.

“Frightened?” Dev asked.

“They seem angry with me.”

“Because you’re different and because I want you. Though we can only have one night.”

Fuck. Jago was tired of being used, but when he tried to move away, claws dug into his chest and thigh. Dev’s scaly hands were warm. So were his wings. Oh God. Lust not pain rushed through Jago’s body along with dawning realisation.

Dev breathed into Jago’s ear. “One night unless…”

Jago’s pulse raced. “Unless what?”

“You choose to be with me forever.” Dev pulled him round, stared into his eyes and gave Jago the deepest, sweetest, most breath-stealingly intense kiss he’d ever had. Hands caressed his backside now, not claws.

“I choose forever.”

Dev’s smile lit up Jago’s world. “Welcome to Faeryland.”

Be sure to let Barbara know what feels you're feeling in the comments below!

About the Author

The joy of music

Or not if you’re listening to me play the violin or the piano. My mother longed for me to show some talent on the piano. I had lessons for years and I honestly don’t think I improved at all. I refused to do exams because I already had to do those in speech and drama – yes, she was one of those sorts of mothers. Eventually I pleaded too much school work and she let me stop.

What did I do once I got married? Bought a piano. My mother thought she was vindicated and used to sit and listen to me play every time she came to stay until she remembered a pressing engagement with the TV in the other room. But my kids loved the piano – ah – until I made them have lessons. Like mother like daughter. This time the music teacher begged me to let her stop teaching my son. Son was talented but he did everything off by heart. He hated the piano and he hated the teacher. Daughter plodded on. She took up the violin and being that sort of mother, I took it up too. Daughter ended up playing in the county orchestra. I retired horrorstruck once I realized there was more than one position. Those who play will know what I mean.

I am in awe of those who can write while they listen. How do they do it? I get distracted by the hum of the air con and if I’m not in a perfect writing mood, ANY sound will grow to annoying proportions very fast. Though I am grateful to music for some of my ideas for stories and titles. I listen while I run to Robbie Williams, James Morrison, Adele, Take That among others AND manage to plot stories at the same time. If I could do the ironing as well, life would be perfect.

With or Without You by U2 – inspired by title With Or Without Him. http://www.metrolyrics.com/with-or-without-you-lyrics-u2.html

Every breath you take by Sting - inspired the title Every Move He Makes http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sting/everybreathyoutake.html

Cowboys Down – well that was all mine!

Be on the lookout for a new paranormal romance coming soon! Like 12/1 kinda soon. Here's the cover & blurb to whet your appetite!

He wants to forget

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

He wants to remember

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

Two worlds collide

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

Only one way to find out.

Enter to win a backlist ebook of Barbara's. Winner's choice! Giveaway ends 12/5 @ Midnight EST. Good luck!

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The Unicorns thank Barbara for helping us celebrate turning 4!

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway HERE! It ends 12/1/17!

Giveaway + Blog Tour: The Druid Next Door (Fae Out of Water, #2) by E.J. Russell

E.J. Russell & Riptide Publishing are her to promote the second in the Fae Out of Water series! Be sure to enter the stupendous giveaway by leaving a comment! Good luck!

About The Druid Next Door

Professor Bryce MacLeod has devoted his entire life to environmentalism. But how effective can he be in saving the planet when he can’t even get his surly neighbor to separate his recycling?

Former Queen’s Enforcer Mal Kendrick doesn’t think his life could get any worse: he’s been exiled from Faerie with a cursed and useless right hand. When he’s not dodging random fae assassins in the Outer World, he’s going toe-to-toe with his tree-hugging neighbor. And when he discovers that the tree hugger is really a druid, he’s certain the gods have it in for him—after all, there’s always a catch with druids. Then he’s magically shackled to the man and expected to instruct him in Supernatural 101.

All right, now things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Until a mysterious stranger offers a drunken Mal the chance to gain back all he’s lost—for a price. After Mal accepts, he discovers the real catch: an ancient secret that will change his and Bryce’s life forever.

Ah, what the hells. Odds are they won’t survive the week anyway.

Available now from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/the-druid-next-door

About the Fae Out of Water Series

Once upon a time, there were three brothers, nobles of the Seelie Court of Faerie, who set out to seek their fortunes. The eldest—

Scratch that. Rrrrrewind.

Nowadays, when tales are told in 140 character bursts on tiny LED screens, rather than spun out by the glow of a midnight campfire, even Faerie’s elite have to get with the program.

The Kendrick brothers have traded longbow for briefcase, battle steed for Harley, and enchanted harp for electric guitar.  But while they’re finding their feet in the modern world, instead of finding their fortunes, they stumble straight into love.

#faeoutofwater

Check out Fae Out of Water! http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/series/fae-out-water

About E.J. Russell

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.:

Website: ejrussell.com

Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author

Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/

To celebrate the release of all three books in the Fae Out of Water series, one lucky winner across all three tours will receive a GRAND PRIZE of a $50 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 23, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the Druid Next Door tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!