Showing posts with label hunters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hunters. Show all posts

Review Tour: Spell of the Werewolf by J.R. Loveless


J.R. Loveless and Gay Book Promotions visit to promote paranormal romance, Spell of the Werewolf! Check it out today!

REVIEW TOUR
Book Title: Spell of the Werewolf
Author: J.R. Loveless
Publisher: Independently Published
Cover Artist: Doelle Designs
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Genre/s: Paranormal Gay Romance
Trope/s: Enemies to Lovers
Themes: Self-forgiveness, redemption, learning to accept the things you can’t change.
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 124 pages / 34 000 words
It is a standalone story.
★⭐★
Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Moonrise will never be the same.
Blurb
A werewolf with a death wish bargains with a hunter for salvation.
Justin has spent several lifetimes atoning for the violent nature of his curse. A mindless angry beast several nights a month, he carries a burden of blood for past sins. Tired and lonely, he’s seeking an end to his torment.
Vincent bears the curse, though only by half. A hybrid, he hunts those of his brethren who let their monsters take over. And he’s hell bent on destroying them all, until he's forced to deal with one who’s begging for peace. Except deliverance wears many guises.
Their desire for redemption erupts in a fiery passion drawing them closer together.


Excerpt

“Because you are so closed-minded you can’t see anything but what you want to see. Justin is a good person. He didn’t ask to be what he is. We can still find the one who bit him!”

Vincent laughed, a clear cynical sound behind it. “If he can find the one who made him. The number of werewolves grows every day. It’ll be impossible. So, no. He has to die!”

Justin had heard enough. He stepped forward and called, “Vincent.”

Vincent whipped his head around and smiled, harsh and bitter. “So you decided to show. This human means that much to you?”

“Let her go,” Justin snarled, ignoring Vincent’s question. “Then we can fight.”

“I’ll let her go… once you’re dead.”

Justin pulled the sword from his back and moved into the light shining from the fountain. “Let’s do it then.”

“Ah, so the little boy went and got himself a big knife, did he? Do you even know how to use it?” Vincent taunted him.

He did an expert twist of his wrist, sending the blade of the sword spinning around him. Vincent’s eyes narrowed just before he attacked. Their blades clashed against one another as they fought; their movements almost an elegant dance between them. “So you’ve had some training, kid? It’s not enough to save your ass.”

Vincent thrust at him, but Justin cut up with his sword and sent Vincent’s flying into the air. The blade clattered against the ground, landing a few feet from them. Before Justin could strike at him again, Vincent leapt backward, grabbed his sword, and flipped, landing several yards away from Justin. Justin knew it wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

Circling one another, their swords glinted in the moonlight. Justin narrowed his eyes while he waited for Vincent to make the first move. Too impatient to wait for Justin to make his move, Vincent went to strike once more. Justin blocked the blow and attempted a return hit, but Vincent was too fast, crashing his sword into Justin’s. Swords crossed at the blade, Justin thrust upward and managed to nick Vincent’s cheek. Vincent cursed, jumped backward, and touched the small cut. His fingers were dark with a smear of blood when he dropped his hand from his cheek. Justin smiled mockingly at him. “Aw. Did I cut you?”

Vincent curled his lip into a snarl and rushed toward Justin with his sword raised. The fight continued for some time, and eventually they stood facing one another, panting for breath. Justin could see Vincent’s anger reflecting outward from bright violet eyes. He’d never met another person with eyes the shade of amethyst. If he were honest with himself, Vincent would have caught his attention many years ago. The broad shoulders, gorgeous white hair, high cheekbones, and obvious strength rang all of Justin’s bells. Of course, the idea of Vincent ever having an interest in him caused Justin to snort.

The sound set off the next chain of events, flaming Vincent’s rage even higher, or so Justin figured when Vincent struck harder than before. They circled each other. Vincent took the next chance to slice at Justin, but Justin grabbed his wrist and wrenched him forward and over his shoulder, sending Vincent’s sword across the ground to Kara’s feet with a clatter of metal on the cement. Justin immediately pinned Vincent underneath him. Breathing heavily, Justin sat there atop Vincent for several seconds without a word, trying to catch his breath.

“I don’t want to kill you,” Justin rasped.

Vincent looked up at him in skepticism. “Why?” Vincent demanded.

Justin retained eye contact with him. “Because I don’t like hurting someone who hates those monsters just as much as I do.”

Vincent seemed to contemplate Justin’s words, and then something seemed to click inside Vincent. The fight left his body. Justin became aware of Vincent’s hard body against his, their suggestive position, and what it could have meant in another world. Flushing, Justin stood and held his hand out to Vincent, who studied him for several heartbeats before allowing Justin’s help up from the ground. Justin rushed to Kara’s side to untie her hands and massaged them to bring the feeling back into them.

“Don’t think this means I trust you, wolf,” Vincent growled as he retrieved his sword. “If you even so much as look at a human in the wrong way, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

The sound of his sword bottoming out in its sheath punctuated his promise.

Kara glanced at him and snapped, “How do we know we can trust you?”

“You don’t.” Without another word, he strode off into the darkness.


About the Author
J.R. Loveless began her adventure in writing romance at the young age of twelve. Her foray into creating her own worlds and telling her characters’ life stories was triggered by her own love of reading. She currently resides in South Florida with her dog and two cats, volunteers for an animal rescue in her spare time, and works as a manager for a financial lending institute. Someday she hopes to begin writing as a full-time career and bringing more of her ideas to life.
Her journey into gay romance began in 2005 when she began posting her original fiction on a forum for feedback and readers’ pleasure. In 2010, a good friend urged her to submit to a publishing company, and the day she received the acceptance and contract was the best day of her life. Since then, she has been noted to be one of the most purchased audio books after Fifty Shades of Grey on Audiobook.com, received best gay romantic fiction for Touch Me Gently in the 2011 TLA Gaybies, and even received an award for Chasing Seth in 2012.
J.R. adores her fans and loves hearing from them.

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Kings of the Mountain by Morgan Brice


Morgan Brice and Gay Book Promotions visit on the Kings of the Mountain blog tour! Find out more about the urban fantasy friends to lover tale and enter in the giveaway to win one of three back list eBooks from the author!

BLOG TOUR
Book Title: Kings of the Mountain
Author: Morgan Brice
Cover Artist: Natania Barron
Release Date: May 21, 2020
Genre/s: Urban Fantasy, MM paranormal romance
Trope/s: Hurt/comfort, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers,
childhood best friends, second chance
Themes: coming of age, forgiveness for self and others,
crush maturing into love, letting go of guilt, family
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 63 000 words/238 pages
It’s the first in a new series

Buy Links


Blurb

Fast cars. Outlaw country boys. Snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts, and menacing monsters.

Dawson King’s family has been hunting things that go bump in the night in Transylvania County, North Carolina, since before the Revolutionary War.

Dawson was never happier than when he was racing his souped-up Mustang along winding mountain roads and hunting monsters with his best friend, Grady. Then Grady fell in love with him, which should have been perfect since Dawson had already fallen hard for Grady.

But Grady was only seventeen, and Dawson feared that sooner or later, Grady would realize his feelings were just a first crush, and then he’d be gone, leaving Dawson devastated. They both needed space to figure things out. So Dawson joined the army, while Grady stayed on the mountain.

Four years later, Dawson is coming home. He’s more sure than ever Grady is his forever love, and they’ve both agreed to begin this new aspect of their relationship as soon as Dawson gets back.

Then Grady’s father is killed in a werewolf hunt gone wrong. Grady is devastated, and he’s throwing mixed signals about moving forward. Dawson knows he needs to hold off on this new thing between them until Grady has time to grieve. But monsters never sleep, and one hunt after another throws Dawson and Grady into constant danger, while tension and unresolved feelings ripple between them.

Making it even harder, Dawson’s got a secret. He’s dreamed of death omens—which point to something stalking Grady. Can Dawson figure out who’s trying to kill Grady, save his life, and win back his heart?

Plenty of mutual pining, hurt/comfort, spooky chills, sexy thrills, and a very happy ending. The Kings of the Mountain is the first novel in the series. It is a MM romance intended for readers 18 years of age and older.



Excerpt

“Dude, you can’t keep me hanging for over an hour until we get home. Please.” Dawson didn’t care about begging. He needed to know what had happened, so he could figure out what to do when he got there.

Colt slid him a sidelong glance and relented. “If I tell you, you’ve got to keep Uncle Denny from whupping my ass, because he told me not to.”

“You know I will.”

Colt tightened his grip on the wheel, his knuckles bone-white and kept his eyes on the road, a convenient way to avoid looking at Dawson. “We’ve had some problems with rogue werewolves and feral shifters lately. They like our neck of the woods because it’s remote. If they didn’t bother anyone, we might have let it ride. But there’ve been livestock kills and some attacks on people that just barely got pushed back.”

“How did you know you’ve got weres and shifters?” Dawson fell back into hunting mode out of old habit.

“It’s that time of the month,” Colt replied with a smirk. “Seriously? The weres are only out the three days of the full moon. You know this shit—did you forget it all while you were gone?”

Dawson flinched. “Just confirming. Didn’t want to assume.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you made an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’” Colt’s smile faded. “Anyhow, we’ve all been out trying to track down one particular werewolf. He didn’t stay in the forest and feed off the deer. If he had, no one would have bothered him. Kept coming near towns, snatching farm animals. Grady and Aaron thought they’d figured out a pattern and guessed where he’d strike next. So they did a stakeout.”

Dawson found he was holding his breath. He had an awful feeling about how this was going to go.

“They were right,” Colt continued, his voice flat. “The werewolf got the drop on Aaron. Grady shot the wolf—silver to the heart—but he’d already bit Aaron.”

“Fuck.”

“Aaron begged Grady to shoot him. Grady refused. Grady also wouldn’t just leave his gun and walk away.”

“He knew how it had to end,” Dawson said quietly, his voice thick with sorrow for both Grady and Aaron.

Colt shrugged. “Maybe he needed more than a few seconds to be okay with killing his father.” At Dawson’s wince, Colt relented. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened to Aaron’s gun; he probably lost it when he got jumped. Anyhow, Aaron went for Grady’s gun, and in the struggle, it went off. Killed Aaron. Grady walked home, covered in blood, and told Uncle Denny what happened. Denny took care of the body.”

“Jesus,” Dawson murmured. “What did they tell the cops?”

“Sheriff Rollins knew about the rogue were. He had his men out looking for it, too. So what went down could have happened to anyone.”

At least no one was going to jail. That was a small comfort. “What about Knox?”


About the Author
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.
On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.
Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

Author Links


Giveaway
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one of three ebooks from Morgan's backlist.






Release Blitz + Giveaway: From the Dark We Came (Pointy Ears & Pointy Teeth #1) by J. Emery


Welcome author J. Emery and IndiGo Marketing as they promote the release of From the Dark We Came (Pointy Ears & Pointy Teeth #1)! Find out more about the QUILTBAG paranormal and enter in the giveaway to win $10 NineStar Press credit!


Title: From the Dark We Came
Series: Pointy Ears & Pointy Teeth, Book One
Author: J. Emery
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: March 16, 2020
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 50600
Genre: Paranormal, NineStar Press, LGBTQIA+, Paranormal, fantasy, other-world, action/adventure, bisexual, cisgender, asexual, demisexual, vampire, vampire hunter, fae, magic/sorcery, dark, humorous, revenge

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Synopsis

Belar has made lying into an art form. His neighbors know him as a mild mannered music teacher, but to his fellow monster hunters he’s a senior agent with one of the best track records in the organization. Werewolves, malignant spirits, and other oddities—you name it, he can track it. And kill it if necessary.

But when a vampire shows up in Belar’s parlor, his two worlds crash into each other. The vampire is named Cassian, and if he had any sense of decency he would be dead since Belar has already tried to kill him. Twice. Luckily, Cassian isn’t interested in holding a grudge. He wants to hire the hunter. Someone in vampire society wants Cassian dead and they’ve been using Belar to do their dirty work. Finding the culprit will save them both.

Their search for answers takes them through a nighttime world of ancient vampires, demon tailors, and monsters of pure shadow. But Belar hasn’t been the only one lying, and enemies and allies are harder to tell apart in the dark.

Excerpt

From the Dark We Came
J. Emery © 2020
All Rights Reserved

Vibrant pink and amber dawn streaked the sky before Belar finally clambered down from his perch in a nearby tree. He moved with spidery grace. Heights had never bothered him, not when he had perfected the art of sneaking out of his bedroom window before the age of six. He had only gotten better since then. Nothing soothed like a narrow ledge beneath his fingers and a world of sky behind him, waiting to catch him if he fell. Granted, the fall would most likely kill him. But until then—pure ease.

He should have been born a bird instead of a man.

The abandoned house was silent. He had searched the area for days before he’d found the place, half swallowed by the encroaching forest. The perfect place for a vampire to hide, empty as it was, but not so distant from human society to make feeding difficult.

There had been a brief moment earlier when he had even worried his guess was wrong, and the house really was as empty as it appeared despite the feel in the air—blood possibly—that called to him. Then he’d gotten his first sighting as the vampire had come lurching back to his nest and removed any lingering doubt. Belar had gauged him as average height (for a vampire as they ran tall) and probably quite old based on the speed of his movements. He wasn’t graceful—exhaustion rendered him clumsy—but he was certainly fast. Belar had lost track of him for seconds at a time as the vampire zigzagged through the dense underbrush in the woods. But by now the vampire should be fast asleep, hidden away where the sun couldn’t disturb him or his rest.

Belar had waited an extra hour to be certain. Not that he was worried. Because he wasn’t.

Vines grew thick over the sides of the old house, its sagging roof full of patched holes, half the windows empty staring eyes, their glass long since shattered. Utterly abandoned. Dilapidated. Save for the curtains hanging in a lower room, a cheerful, if faded pattern of blue on white like the border on a fancy plate. They had no reason to be there. Not here in an empty house, in an empty town where all but the birds had moved on. Even the bones of those caught in the fire that had destroyed the village years ago were gone. The forest had reclaimed everything but a handful of houses, their crumbling walls marked by smudges of soot and a few scattered patches of paving stone that had once been the town square. The bridge arching over the nearby stream verged on collapse. The rest was mossy, green, and still.

His eyes strayed again to the curtains in the window. Something about them unsettled him.

“Or maybe you’re just losing your touch after the last time,” he muttered. In the stillness, his voice sounded loud as a shout, and he flinched despite himself. But anyone was liable to be a bit jumpy after his recent near miss, he reasoned.

His last hunt had begun as they typically did. Weeks of research and information gathering about the area before he successfully pinpointed the resting place of the vampire and felt safe making his move. He’d always been thorough. Usually it served him well. But despite his many precautions, despite waiting for the sun to rise high enough to assure his target was deeply asleep, Belar had found himself trapped in a tomb with a very angry and very awake vampire who was fully capable of fighting back. Belar had recovered from the blow that threw him into the wall just in time to see the dark figure of the vampire eclipsing the sun streaming in the open door. For one moment, as impossibly beautiful as a wrathful god to Belar’s dazed mind. Then he ran out into the daylight. Everyone knew what happened to vampires touched by the sun. No part was pleasant. No one seemed to have told this vampire though. There were no screams. No flames. Not even the slightest sizzle of searing flesh. Nothing but a rapidly retreating vampire.

Belar had been lucky to escape with nothing worse than a black eye, a sprained wrist, and enough cracked ribs to make breathing exciting for the next few weeks. In a lifetime of brushes with death, this had been the closest of all. By rights he really should be dead. Not that he was complaining on the last point.

And clearly he hadn’t learned his lesson well enough since here he was stalking yet another vampire. Other hunters might have taken the job if he’d wanted to give it up. The thought had never even occurred to him.

Belar slithered in through one of the gaping eyehole windows and landed softly atop a floor carpeted with moldy leaves and splintered wood that had once been a shutter. He took a moment to get his bearings. There wasn’t much to see. He’d surveyed the house from every imaginable angle outside, but hadn’t ventured inside. He hadn’t dared. The risk of spreading his scent around and alerting the vampire to his presence was too great. Now it wouldn’t matter. The sun was up and so was the vampire’s time.

The stairs leading to the cellar were almost completely broken away. What remained was as rotten as everything else in this place. A few jagged timbers and a yawning darkness below. He would have to be careful climbing back up so he didn’t end up full of splinters.

Belar checked his axe and the knives strapped to his wrists before he snugged the knot of the scarf tied over his face. Then he leaped down to kill himself a vampire.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

J. Emery is slowly writing their way through every fantasy trope imaginable. And if they can make it weirder and queerer while they do, that’s even better as far as they’re concerned.

They spend their free time gaming, working on their cosplay creating skills, and drinking large quantities of tea, occasionally all at the same time. They have also been known to document their ridiculous levels of terror while watching horror movies on twitter as @mixeduppainter. Sometimes they even discuss upcoming projects.

They have also written and self-published two queer short stories: An Offering of Plums and Help Wanted.

Website | Twitter | Pinterest

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Foreign to You by Jeremy Martin


Author Jeremy Martin and IndiGo Marketing promote fantasy YA, Foreign to You! Learn more today and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: Foreign to You
Author: Jeremy Martin
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: February 11, 2019
Heat Level: 1 - No Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 83900
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Young adult, fantasy, shifters, hunter, stag, forest, reincarnation

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Synopsis

The harmony between humans and fianna, a species of shapeshifting deer, begins to wither as racial tensions and deeply rooted resentment turns violent.

Ruthless hunter Finn Hail and prophesied liberator Adelaide may be heroes to their own species, but they are enemies to each other. With war on the horizon, the reluctant pair must team up to find the most elusive of prey: the god of the Forest.

As enemies press in from all sides, true intentions begin to show. For Finn to save the boy he cares for most, he might need to aim his gun at the very god he seeks. And Adelaide, with her festering hatred for mankind, will have to determine if peace holds true salvation for her people.

Excerpt

Foreign to You
Jeremy Martin © 2019
All Rights Reserved

It is strange to sit in the Forest with a rifle, bullets, and the intention to kill. The Forest is meant to be a place of harmony, where the order of things is meticulous, spontaneous, and beautiful.

I am a blemish in an otherwise blissful system.

My only justification for upsetting said balance is that I am here, with a gun, to silence another disturbance.

“To the right,” Jay whispers, his words turning into clouds similar to a furnace expelling smoke. His voice is so soft the branches seem to lean downward greedily, as if the leaves could catch each of his words like raindrops. With the meek backdrop of the Forest, Jay’s features are highlighted and prominent. His sturdy jaw, light stubble, and bright eyes were all a combination of classic handsome.

I, on the other hand, am classically average. Brown hair, dull eyes, and a nose that’s a little too big.

After waiting in the same spot an unholy amount of time, my body had sunk deeper in Pa’s musky leather jacket while my muscles and thoughts had stiffened from neglect. The slightest stirring from Jay startles me out of my daydreaming and from my cocoon of warmth. Unlike me in the present moment, Jay’s attention and energy are crisp and alert while his entire body leans forward in anticipation.

“Do you see him?” Jay murmurs with thinly veiled anxiety. He scrambles for his rifle with shaky fingers, brings the scope up to gaze through. I blame the cold, or my own fleeting concentration, but I cannot see what he does. The only abnormalities I see in the surrounding Forest are the slabs of meat Jay strung up on the branches like decorations to attract the ferals.

With a huff of frustration, he angles my line of sight with his rough fingers, squishing my cheeks, and gripping my head. Within an instant of the contact of his skin on mine, my mind sharpens.

Allowing my gaze to soften so I can absorb more of my surroundings, I finally see the tiniest of movements. A flash of white that doesn’t belong to the never-ending bark. A drifting smudge in the sea of stillness. Yet, the Forest is so dense the leaves tend to bunch together like armor, protecting its inhabitants from invaders. Between one blink and the next, the Forest returns to its previous state. Not a twig out of place. Nothing exposed.

“Found ya,” Jay says, his voice trembling. I study his nervous movements. Gloved fingers twitching individually. Teeth tugging at his bottom lip. Chest barely rising and falling as he forgets to breathe. For he has the skills of a great hunter, but not the heart for it. Jay was the boy who once found a rabbit with a broken leg and attempted to nurse it back to health. He was the same boy that cried for four days after his father snapped the creature’s neck to put it out of its misery.

I’m not good at vocalizing emotions, making them into pretty little words, which is a genetic trait from Pa. All I can tell Jay is, “Stay calm,” and that doesn’t sound like near enough. I wish I could tell him that we should head back to town, that he deserved much more than loud rifles and dirt.

But I don’t say those things.

I move past him, my boots squishing in the mixture of mud and snow. Each step is heavier than it needs to be, and my impatience starts to hum within my ears with each squish, squish. As I stalk, I strain to find the distortion of the brown that slipped away.

“It was probably a raccoon,” I tell Jay, despite knowing we are meant to be silent. Loud hunters gain no prizes. “I bet you got caught—”

A snort comes from my right, and as I turn, I find a beast stationed between two oak trees.

Its massive frame looms before me with red-rimmed eyes, thick and building black veins, patchy fur, and teeth bared. My eyes soak up every inch of the deer, my heart hammering in time with his exhales. From this distance, the beast is nearly magnificent, practically the size of a horse. His nostrils flare as he paws at the ground, catching all wayward smells while each muscle twitches and throbs. Unlike his cousins, this stag does not flee at the sight of a human. Instead, he lowers his brow defiantly, his antlers posed daggers.

It is an unholy combination of god and devil.

A loud crack fires off behind me, and before I can even blink, the bark of the nearest oak shatters into a thousand shards.

With fear leading it, the stag rears back onto his hind legs and lashes out with hooves strong enough to break bones. I attempt to leap backward, but my boots do not leave the mud willingly. As I fall onto the ground, my rifle skids across the Forest floor. I scramble for the dagger stored at my hip, but my gloves make the hilt as slick as a trout. As the stag brings down the weight of its body with an aggravated snort, I roll to my side so that the hooves bury themselves into muck, not flesh. I manage to free my knife and drag it across the beast’s torso before I make a dash for safety.

The buck, alarmed by the sudden pain, moves his eyes frantically, rolling them around his skull and exposing the whites. Its scream, a noise rivaling that of a horn being blown, attacks me even from a distance.

Another gunshot fires off too close, missing once more. As mud rains down from the misfire, the stag flees, taking blood and the stench of rot with it deep into the lush green.

Crawling out from the bush I dove into, I can hear Jay abandoning his usual stealth to reach me. His right boot slips in the slush as he nears me, causing him to crash down beside me. “Shit, Finn. Are you okay?” His hand creeps near my knee before stopping inches from it. “I thought—”

“What even was that?” I snap, pointing at the crude hole in the ground. Instantly, Jay’s cheeks flare red, his face hardening defensively. “You were aiming for it, right?” Jay is deadly silent. I work my jaw, hoping to alleviate the ringing still echoing in my eardrums.

Jay curls his fingers into fists. “Next time would you rather I let you go? You seemed to be handling it well,” he bites back with sarcasm.

At the lodge, Jay will find any reason not to pick up a gun. Instead, he studies the plants, tinkers with complex traps, and vanishes like a frightened barn cat at the sound of a rifle exploding. I shouldn’t be surprised he’s an awful shot, considering his lack of practice.

“Well, I’m alive,” I tell him, wanting more than anything to be on the move again, and to distance myself from the anger that quickly rose to the top. “But maybe leave the guns to me?”

After a quick smile, Jay squares his shoulders and flexes his hands as the facade of a hunter starts to settle back over him. As the best parts of him get stuffed away. “I’ll find him again,” he promises, and I have no doubt that he will. It’s often teased that Jay has a nose more acute than a hound. He carries a rifle for formalities, but his talents lie within his knowledge of the land. Animal droppings, tracks, and broken twigs are all parts of Jay’s trade. It’s what makes him valuable to a band of killers. “We are losing daylight,” he points out. “And we’re approaching Falling Rock.”

Are we that far out? I think, dazed. With Jay, time isn’t something I usually keep up on. When we were young, I would battle fatigue for one more hour with him.

I scratch at my neckline where sweat starts to bead. “Well, I left you a blood trail, so my portion of help is exhausted.” I let the edges of my lips rise, and Jay accepts it with a nod. This is how comrades treat one another.

Right?

Jay rises, body hunched close to the ground as he follows the red through the bushes.

Once upon a time, back when it became evident a gun only felt natural in one of our grips, Jay tried teaching me the art of tracking, taking great pride in his skill. But at that age, when I was young and full of pride, I pretended it didn’t interest me. Eventually, after I’d declined his guiding hand enough many times, Jay stopped trying to explain his methods to me.

Today, Jay is further removed, his words shorter than usual. The same tension sparking between us with the simplest of blunders, or the slightest of nods, because this is the first time Jay is tracking a feral.

The first time I have been tasked with killing a feral.

This feral is a rarity. The majority of the ferals stay in the Forest, killing what crosses their paths. Yet, this particular beast had entered human territory, killing a farmer and his wife before peeling back into the trees. It makes our mission important. It is more than just killing.

It is justice.

After a rough mile of trekking over minor cliffs and rocky outposts, Jay brings me to a halt with a snap of his wrist. As he shrinks down, I mimic him. Pointing at the snow, he shows me a large divot in the otherwise perfect layer of white. I don’t need to be a tracker to know the buck must have slipped on ice, crashing into the remaining snow and splashing against the fluff like a sponge full of red paint.

I pop two bullets into my rifle, check the safety, and snap the chambers shut. Slinging the gun onto my back, I notice that Jay’s eyes barely leave the blood, lost in the color. Doubt is starting to build upon his shoulders, gnawing at his edges.

“Are you ready?” I ask. He doesn’t know it, but the same uneasiness lines my stomach.

“We’ve come this far,” he tells me. He takes a bold step forward, and I can do nothing but follow. Despite the ground dropping away into a steep slope, it is clear the feral struggled up the side of the mountain.

Jay begins climbing first, taking fistfuls of roots and rocks, to propel himself along. As we move, the blood remains consistent on our right. Before long, Jay crawls over the top of the outpost, disappearing for a moment before reappearing to hoist me up. Once we are on even ground, I want to thank him, crack a joke, or anything, but my words are swallowed up as I look over Jay’s shoulder and across the plateau.

I follow red snow until I find the once four-legged stag wobbling on two legs, erect for a breath before plummeting onto his knees. There is blood all over his body, tainting his skin like a rampant infection. Even from here, I can see his muscles quivering and shaking, his body burning off the gentle flakes that land on his shoulders.

His frail human shoulders.

Every part of him seems at war as he spasms and writhes. Despite the fur drifting off his body in decaying clumps, his antlers still hang from his brow, holding steady in the air with crimson stains along the tines.

I snap my rifle in front of me.

When the stag turns to me, he tries to raise his hands. Hands that should be human but are jagged and blackened. A droplet of blood creeps from his eye and down his cheek and drips onto his bare leg.

It is clear he is suffering, caught between two bodies.

I hear him mumbling, but I can’t make out the individual words. Despite my head screaming, don’t get any closer, you idiot, I find my boots propelling me forward. As I near the fiend, his voice breaks like a young boy in puberty. “Begin again,” he raves. “Begin again, begin again—” he lets out a tangle of screams, his claws tearing into his cheeks. “Pain, pain, rebirth.”

“Finn,” Jay says, grabbing my shoulder with his giant hands, startling me from my daze. “It might not be too late. We might be able to help him.”

“He is sick,” I say. I stare at a point behind the beast, letting my words flood me with false confidence. “He is just an animal.” It is Pa logic. Town logic.

“Wait, Finn,” Jay pleads. None of the other hunters would hesitate to kill the feral, I want to tell him. Not after the feral’s hands were stained with blood. Blood from Norsewood.

“He’s changing—”

“It’s too late for that,” I tell him sternly. “He has already done enough damage.”

Jay looks away, squinting into the distance. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Killing never feels right, I want to tell him. But in the seconds I take my eyes off him, the feral lunges at me, fangs angled at my throat.

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Meet the Author

Jeremy Martin, born and raised in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, considers himself to be a part-time writer and a full-time mess. If he isn’t nose-deep in a book, he’s obsessively playing video games, re-watching The Office for the umpteenth time, or lost in nature. Foreign to You is his debut novel.

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Circle of Trust (Genesis Circle #2) by Aimee Nicole Walker & Nicholas Bella


Authors Aimee Nicole Walker & Nicholas Bella and Vibrant Promotions celebrate the release of vampire romance Circle of Trust (Genesis Circle #2)! Learn more about the second in the series and enter in the Circle of Trust (Genesis Circle #2) eBook giveaway! Two winners!

Circle of Trust Tour Banner
CIRCLE OF TRUST
NICHOLAS BELLA & AIMEE NICOLE WALKER
M/M PARANORMAL ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 08.07.18
Cirlce of Trust Cover
COVER DESIGN: JAY AHEER/ Simply Defined Art
BLURB
Lorcán Kennedy is a take-no-prisoner vampire whose grit is tested when slain vampires start showing up in his sector. His investigation reveals a blessed weapon was used in the slayings, which leads him to a rogue hunter with a grudge against vampires.
Christian Wolfe is a no-nonsense hunter who believes the only good vampire is a dead one, but his code of honor keeps his hatred in check. When his integrity is questioned, he will do anything to defend it, including work with his enemy.
Vampire and hunter unite to solve the case, although for very different reasons. Lorcán wants to prove he is worthy of his Regent title once and for all. Christian wants to uncover who is framing him for the vampire deaths. It sounds easy enough, but neither are prepared for the desire that arcs between them when their eyes meet for the first time. When longing glances give way to passionate kisses and scorching touches, these powerful beings will learn that their bond goes beyond mere attraction. It is fate.
Sparks and fangs fly in this second installment of the Genesis Circle, a paranormal romance series written by Nicholas Bella and Aimee Nicole Walker. This book contains explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.
Cirlce of Trust Teaser 3
Circle of Trust Teaser 4

EXCERPT
The knock on my door let me know Christian was waiting on the other side. I stood in front of the door and took a deep, calming breath. Jesus Christ, why was I so nervous? I’m over a century old, why was I acting like some schoolboy meeting his first crush? It was ridiculous. I silently chastised myself for being a dolt and opened the door. Ahhh, there he stood in all his handsome glory. He was looking at me with eyes that held desire and curiosity. There was also a bit of agitation in his expression. Well, let’s see if I could get rid of it and help him focus more on the desire and curiosity he was harboring.

“Come in,” I said, opening the door wider.

He stepped inside, and I closed the door, locking it.

“Okay, I’m here, what did you need to show me that you couldn’t send over the phone?” he asked, getting right to business. Okay, here was the dilemma. Do I show him what I know and risk killing the mood I was setting up, or do I just pounce on him, rock his world, and then show him what I’d discovered? Hmmmm, decisions, decisions.

I decided to make my move. I walked over to him and pushed him into the chair. He fell into it, legs flying up from the impact. I didn’t give him a chance to recover before I was climbing into his lap. I grabbed him by the back of his head and kissed those lips I’d been thinking about all night. I thought he would push me back, but he didn’t… at least not right away. He was kissing me again, giving me that same fire he burned me with in the alley, and I was melting in response.

I felt his arms embrace me as he kissed me harder, more passionately, as if he couldn’t help himself. I caressed his bearded cheek as I relished his tongue in my mouth. Even the taste of him was intoxicating. I wanted him. Just when it was getting extra hot, he must have found the wherewithal to hit the brakes. Like we needed him to do that.

He pushed me off him, and I landed with a hard thud on my ass. His muscular chest heaved as he sucked in deep breaths of air, attempting to gather his senses. He was staring at me now, his gorgeous blue eyes clouded with lust. It was what we both needed, and I wasn’t about to let his hatred of vampires ruin the moment I knew we both wanted.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.

“What we both want,” I said then climbed back into his lap and pressed my lips to his again. That time, he didn’t try to push me away. Instead, he began ripping off my shirt, sending buttons flying in every direction. Sure, it was a designer garment, but I was willing to sacrifice it to get Christian in my bed. I helped him take my shirt off me then I leaned back just enough to snatch his jacket and shirt from his body.

Oh yes, sweet baby Jesus, yes! His chest was covered in dark, black hair. Not too thick, but perfect for running my fingers through. That’s just what I did, too. I started from the trail leading to his treasure trove and worked my way up to his nipples, letting my fingers glide through his silky hair and over his smooth skin. I hadn’t been this aroused in I don’t know how long. I sought his lips again because they tasted so damn good. While I was lost in the pleasure of his mouth, I kept my hands firmly on those muscular pecs I’d been wanting to touch since I first saw him.

His hands were all over me, stroking my back until they reached my ass, and he gripped both cheeks, giving them a nice squeeze. I moaned as I broke the kiss and started sucking and licking his neck, making my mark. He was moaning too, and if I didn’t know any better, it would seem he was trying to seduce me to bite him. He turned his head, exposing his neck to me, and his natural scent floated up my nostrils, calling to my hunger. There was something special about the blood of the Institute hunters. The scent of it was more intoxicating than any other being I’d ever smelled. I always wanted to know what it tasted like, and my mouth began to salivate at the possibility.

I wanted to bite him, to taste his essence, the fluid that made his heart beat and his cock hard. I wanted his blood to flow into me just as his semen flowed into me. Soon, my love. I held my fangs in check and only sucked gently at the tender flesh of his neck, just below his beard. I rubbed my cheek against his, enjoying the rough hairs lightly scrubbing my face. In that moment, everything that had been bothering me seemed to disappear, and all that mattered was Christian.

I had to have more of him. I moved down, kissing and licking his chest, sucking his perky nipples. I didn’t stop there, we both raced to undo his pants and pulled them down and off. Finally, I got to see him fully naked, and what a beautiful sight he was. I let my eyes trail over him slowly, and they widened when I got to his erection. He was huge, bigger than any man I’d ever been with. Great holy moly, I should have done some squats and stretches before he came over to prepare for this beast.



Aimee Logo


I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I'm a girly tomboy
who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees.
I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever-after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.
Nicolas Bella Logo

About me? Hmmm, I'm just a person with a wild imagination and a love for words who was sitting around the house one day and said, "Why hasn't anyone written a book like this before?". As with every storyteller, I wanted to share mine with the world. I like my erotica dark, gritty, sexy... and even a little raunchy. I'm not afraid to go there and I hope you aren't afraid to go there with me. When I'm not writing, I love watching movies and TV shows, clubbing, biking, and hanging out with family and friends. I love life.

I'd love to hear from you, feel free to send me a shout out!

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Review: A Kiss of Brimstone (Out of the Shadows #2) by Morgan Elektra

Sparked in the shadows, their passion burns brighter than any fire in Hell.

Formed at the dawn of civilization and risen through the ranks of demonkind to command legions, Andras has never cared for anything so much as his duty to humanity and the Creator.

There is nothing on Earth that could hold a candle to his sense of purpose.

Ben travels the world alone, intent on destroying rogue vampires, feral werewolves, and corrupt witches. For him, hunting is more than a job, it's his life's calling.

But there is more in Heaven and Earth than he ever imagined, and the revelation sets his shadowed world ablaze.

From the moment their eyes meet, the desire in Andras' blood gives him a new mission: possess the rugged hunter. Will Ben resist the primal pull between them, or will he let the fire of the demon lord's lust consume him?


I love that the author is continuing with the Out of the Shadows series and the “good in bed with evil” theme she has going. I had a blast with Will and Reese in A Single Heartbeat and when I saw we were getting another hunter with a demon in this, I knew I wanted it and held out hope that we would get a possible glimpse of Will and Reese.
Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.

Andras is a demon, but not the ones we’re used to seeing. Yes, physically he has the traits we would assume would belong to him; the horns, the dark wings and the forked tongue, but Andras is a Soul Reaver, a special demon who along his angel brothers and sisters does the work for the Creator. As a demon he ferries souls to their rest in Kimah and oversaw the keeping of the Silent City (aka Heaven and Hell) while the angels carry new souls into the world, and watched over them on Earth. Andras has come to Earth to retrieve a soul that has escaped Kimah and taken possession over a human who retains the same darkness. When Andras meets the dark souls in an alley before to stop them before they hurt an innocent, he is confronted with a hunter…

Ben Carpenter is a hunter, born from hunters, who is out to make contact with a man who could possible help him track down a vampire. Given the name of this man by a vampire priestess, Ben is on his way to a club for the meeting when he senses a supernatural being in an alley and goes in for the rescue of an innocent man. What Ben sees as he faces the dark soul changes him forever in more ways than he thought possible.

I dug the “meet cute” with Ben and Andras because it really shows who both men are. Ben is fearless in what he does as a hunter though he’s never seen anything like Andras. Andras is old and thought he was passed the wanting of carnal pleasures and heart until faced with Ben and quite literally cannot let the feeling go. Though they part ways, the small wait we get is more than worth it.

I loved that the hunter Ben is going to meet is Will and that the meeting was at Sang. I was waiting for Reese to make an appearance and when he did I was stupidly happy. It was great to see them again and know that what they shared, what I read as one night truly did turn into more and that they are still all over one another. The fact that Reese, a centuries old vampire, is fascinated that Ben has seen a Soul Reaver in the flesh and that both the hunters and most of the supernatural creatures they encounter aren’t sure if demons and angels actually exist added another new level to this world we are in.
…demons worked for God, the same as angels. They did not corrupt souls, but fought the corruption. If Reese’s Sire was to be believed, demons literally fought wars to save souls.
Once both Ben and Andras are done with their respective duties, the men find their way to one another and things heat up.

I have to say Andras in his human or other form was extremely attractive, but I am on the same page with Ben and preferred him in his demon form. Being in both POV’s it was great to know what that meant to Andras, for Ben to prefer him with literally horns and all but those wings are freaking orgasmic regardless of how they are presented and how they are presented in the human form was sexy as heck. Speaking of sexy… you don’t get a hunter and a demon in bed and not have it be hot because OMG was it ever hot. Let me just say, a long forked demon tongue can do many things and slide into many places. *grunts* Hot, it was so freaking hot.

Oh but there was romance in this and it was amazing. Knowing that Andras works with the Creator and that Ben could possibly be his Reliquum, or true soul mate, was über romantic and that end gave me feels and hope far beyond the HFN that was presented.

A Kiss of Brimstone was another sexy read from this author and I love how the title applies and also plays with the story. I can’t wait to see if the author continues with the series and if she will visit the mysterious figure in the doorway the angel came to watch over. I hope so because he stuck in my head and I would love to know more about him.


Review: Love Bites by D. River

    Ryder has been friends with Tucker since they were in the first grade. They grew up together, they joined the Marines together and they moved to the vast metropolis of New York City together. Nothing could tear them apart.
    Or so they believed. When they get bitten by a mysterious creature, they find themselves drawn together in a whole new way that is both exciting and terrifying. Neither of them is prepared to face the feelings they now have or what that could mean for their future.
    This is the story of their quest for a cure, which takes them through such locales as Little Avalon, the Wild Wood and the haunted ruins of Old Syracuse. Together they must face down dangers and challenges even as they grapple with the life-shift of now being mated werewolves.
    Join Ryder and Tucker for a fun, romantic adventure set in an Earth much like our own, but where magic and magical creatures are as much a part of the world as science and technology.



Friends to lovers - tick
Shifters - tick
Bad v good - tick
Fabulously enjoyable story - tick
Sizzling hot sex - TICK

Tick, tick, tick. It's fair to say this book worked for me. It really worked for me. I have a confession, I'm a bit of a Teen Wolf fangirl, so most of my shifter reading has been of the TW fanverse variety, and this means sometimes I find it harder to get into other shifter fics. I know the rules and characters in TW world and want to apply them to other shifter fics. That was not the case here though.

In fact, I adored the world D. River created - the magical world alongside the human world. I loved the fact that humans knew about this world, although the two often only met in places. Little Avalon - it reminded me a bit of Diagon Alley and I would love to spend more time there.  Magical, mystical, never sure who or what was around the corner or behind the next door. The Wild Wood too, a place where humans don't venture, full of creatures not of the earthly realm.

Ryder and Tucker are best friends and have been since childhood. Tucker has had a difficult life and Ryder is the person who understands him best, the only one he lets close. He's a love 'em and leave 'em type; he lets the girls in only so far. Ryder is more serious in his relationships, but hasn't found the right girl for him yet.

When they are attacked one evening by a creature they can't properly identify (it couldn't be a werewolf because werewolves were extinct)... except, later that night, Ryder finds himself running through one of the city parks, shifted into a wolf form and doing his best to fight the killing instinct that has him in its thrall. Werewolves were created by Native Americans to protect the land from the intruding white men, but somehow things had gone wrong and instead of just  protecting Mother Earth they savaged those who were ruining her. 

Luckily for Ryder he caught whiff of his alpha, his mate, and the night became a chase between the two of them. The thrill of the dominant alpha hunting his submissive mate. Ryder wouldn't make it too easy for his alpha though, that would be disrespectful. What follows was so freaking hot my Kindle nearly flew a fire (as they say here on Norfolk).

Of course, the alpha mate was Tucker.

The story that followed was of their quest to try and rid themselves of the curse - of being werewolves. They would be hunted and unable to go back to their lives, were it known what had happened to them. At the same time though they had to learn to be more than friends. Their wolves recognised the love and attraction to each other, but as two men who had yet to consider a physical relationship - sex - with anyone of the same gender the fact they wanted to jump each others bones took some getting used to.

It was more than sex. It was protection and loving and friendship and dominant and submissive and leader and so, so much more than just sex. BUT the sex was so fucking hot. I mean, I can take or leave nooky in a book, but I adored it here. I really, really did. It was also pretty funny as well. 
"Strange as it was for sex not to be about the destination, he felt okay with not getting to come. The sensations he was experiencing were like a maelstrom of tiny climaxes and he was so content he didn't feel the need to shoot. At least, for now it was okay. In a moment he would probably masturbate like a teen boy with his first porn magazine." 
I don't always highlight when I read, but I did in this book and all of them were sex scenes. My notes were things like first time, hilarious. The rest of the story was good too though, promise.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars was - for me - it felt occasionally YA in tone, when it really isn't a YA story. A really enjoyable start to a series. Book 2 review soon.  

A copy of this book was given on exchange for an honest review.
Find out more on Goodreads.

Review: Forever Young by Jeff Erno

In less than a summer, shy and introverted Robbie Myers goes from eighteen and never been kissed to the passionate intensity of first love that could last forever. Literally…

Eighteen-year-old Robbie Myers has difficulty talking to people. Not only is he shy, but he seems to say the wrong thing every time he opens his mouth, especially to the mysterious, handsome stranger who shows up at his supermarket job, defends him from an aggressive colleague and then asks him on a date. He can't believe a hot, worldly badboy like seventeen-year-old Colt Abernathy is actually interested. Yet he can’t deny that the ardor burning in Colt’s dark eyes is just for him. In the space of one breath, Robbie is launched from his plan to attend community college while living at home with his mom and saving up for a car to the tender yet passionate exploration of intense first love. Little does Robbie know…

Brought across during the height of the Civil War, Colt has remained trapped in the body of a lonely seventeen year old. When he spots the slim, blond-haired, blue eyed young man, pushing a line of shopping carts across a parking lot, Colt knows instantly they’re destined for each other. There’s just one major problem: if he survives the impending battle between vampires and the Matarians - an army of brutal vampire slayers - he’s going to live forever. Robbie isn’t…



When the chance to read Forever Young by Jeff Erno came into the clubhouse, I snatched it up - I've read several book by this author and he has an easy style I enjoy, plus vampires. I've not read a vampire novel for ages but it's fair to say I'm a fan of the modern vampires stories, I was really looking forward to this.

I can say, hand on heart, I enjoyed this book. I think Jeff Erno writes lovely characters, characters that truly fall in love. It's not just about a quick fuck in his books, it's about all consuming love. In this book the main couple is Robbie and Colt. To me their relationship had echoes of Edward and Bella, in fact in many places the book echoed Twilight. I don't want that to be mistaken with it being a copy of Twilight, because it certainly isn't. I think it's because this story, like Stephenie Meyer's, does emanate from the relationships involved. The conflict, the fights between humans, vampires and werewolves, the pure bred, older vampires - they're all there, they all form the story's backbone, but truly it is all about relationships. The fight for love against the odds really.

As well as Robbie and Colt we meet Colt's fathers, Richard and Brendan and vampire hunter's Ethan and Issa. Again the relationships of these couples are important to the story. It's a book about making decisions that are hard - to follow your heart or to follow your head? To trust or not to trust. Though many in the book - the extreme elements of each part of this multi-layered society - see things in black and white, wrong or right, kill or be killed, each of the main couples has reason to see the shades of grey - whether they know it or not yet.

So why not four or more hearts? Well as much as I loved the story and Jeff Erno's writing style, at times there were bits that felt rushed.It felt like we were skipping from scene to scene - particularly in the 'action' scenes, almost like the author wanted to get through them so he could write the emotional impact of the scenes, the bit that he does really well. I've never met the author, but I get the impression from his writing that he is one of those people who is filled with sunshine, that he knows the horrible aspects of life, but he chooses to see the good rather than the bad. I think I see this in his writing, the potential good of nearly everyone, if only the right choices were made available.

Also, the beginning felt very tell not show - in fact at odd times throughout I felt things could have been shown instead of told, sometimes just because it was pretty obvious and didn't need explaining. It felt as though it could have had one more read through from a proof reader at times. The grammar etc was fine and the storyline was interesting and, as I mentioned, I loved the characters but there were some bumps that could have been smoothed.

I'm reading the second book next, to be reviewed for tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it. A lot changed at the end of book one and I can't wait to catch up with the characters in book two.

A copy of this book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.