Thursday, August 31, 2023

Cover Reveal - Infamous


Cover Reveal

Feast your eyes on this insanely hot cover for ๐™„๐™‰๐™๐˜ผ๐™ˆ๐™Š๐™๐™Ž ๐™‹๐˜ผ๐™๐™† ๐˜ผ๐™‘๐™€๐™‰๐™๐™€ ๐™‹๐™๐™„๐™‰๐˜พ๐™€ by Ella Frank & Brook Blaine, created by Hang Lee, with photo credit to Ren Saliba

This is the first book in their brand new co-authored series of sexy M/M standalone with a scandalous edge, arriving on September 21st.





What you can expect from ๐™„๐™‰๐™๐˜ผ๐™ˆ๐™Š๐™๐™Ž ๐™‹๐˜ผ๐™๐™† ๐˜ผ๐™‘๐™€๐™‰๐™๐™€ ๐™‹๐™๐™„๐™‰๐˜พ๐™€…

๐Ÿ’Ž Biawakening

๐Ÿ‘‘ Playboy⁣

๐Ÿ’Ž Golden boy⁣

๐Ÿ‘‘ Bet⁣

๐Ÿ’Ž Revenge⁣

๐Ÿ‘‘ New guy⁣

๐Ÿ’Ž Secret Relationship

ABOUT THE BOOK:

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฒ? ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ธ. ๐—ช๐—ฒ’๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ-๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป-๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—”๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—จ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป.

๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ.

๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ.

๐—•๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€.


Weston LaRue

“The Playboy”

I’m never one to turn down a bet. Especially not when it comes to retaliating against the dean for pulling a dick move before summer break.

So when the dean’s golden child arrives at Astor for his freshman year, my fellow troublemakers throw down a wager I can’t resist.

The target: the dean’s son, John Thomas Hawthorne, or “JT.”


The bet: corruption in any way I choose.

It should’ve been easy. With his mess of brown curls, pouty lips, and good-boy reputation, JT is the perfect revenge. And even better? He’s straight.

Challenge accepted. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove a point, no matter how reckless it might be.

Game. On.



๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—”๐—ฉ๐—”๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—•๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—˜-๐—ข๐—ฅ๐——๐—˜๐—ฅ!

Amazon Universal ~ https://geni.us/InfamousPL

Don’t miss this tempting sneak peek early excerpt, add INFAMOUS PARK AVENUE PRINCE to your Goodreads TBR, and enter Ella & Brooke’s rafflecopter for your chance to read early here: https://geni.us/aHa1G 


Cover Reveal - Heir to Frost and Storm


✨ Cover Reveal ✨ 

Heir to Frost & Storm by Ben Alderson is the second book in the “Court of Broken Bounds” series that will be published on November 10th by Second Sky Books.


ABOUT THE BOOK:


“I needed this. I needed him. My mind was a storm and I wanted him to take it all away.”

At the prestigious and competitive Saylam Academy, Max trains to master his magic, surrounded by enemies who will stop at nothing to see him fail.

As he fights to survive, Max’s romance with proud, passionate healer Simion grows ever more intense. But magic still ties him to Camron Calzmir, the prince who seduced and betrayed him. While the enchantment lingers, even the slightest touch from Simion could tear Max apart.

To prove himself, Max enters a legendary contest that could win him the loyalty of a powerful, ice-breathing dragon. High in the mountains, he will face elemental monsters and vicious rivals. But these dangers are only the beginning.

When Max returns to find Saylam consumed by rebellion, it’s clear that even old friends hold dangerous secrets.

An ancient plan is falling into place. And if it succeeds, whole kingdoms will burn. To survive the war that is coming, Max must be willing to sacrifice everything…

Heir to Frost and Storm continues an addictive M/M fantasy romance series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Elise Kova and C.S. Pacat. Building on the slow-burn tension of Book 1, it’s packed with heart-racing steam, deadly intrigue, found family and jaw-dropping twists.

Note: You can find the complete review for Heir to Thorn and Flame here

Monday, August 28, 2023

Hawke

Details

Come on, baby, light my fire…

Firefighter Hawke Colton loves his job and hanging with his firefighter brothers. Work is great, but Hawke wants more. He yearns for a life with a husband, kids, a house, even a dog. What he craves is a real family, something he never got to experience growing up.

Fire Investigator Tristan Cole lost his parents to an arsonist twenty-one years ago. That tragedy changed his life forever. He’s built his career on putting arsonists away, and he is still searching for the person responsible for his parents’ death.

When a family is killed in a suspicious fire, Tristan knows the signature of the offender all too well. To prove it’s the same arsonist, he asks Hawke for help combing through the old files. He is determined to get justice by uncovering what lurks beneath the ashes.

When the arsonist sets his sights on Tristan, can Hawke find a way to keep his new love safe?


Review

 It was a pleasant surprise to see that the characters in this story are somewhat related to those of the Federal Protection Agency series.

In this we see the story of Hawk who is a firefighter, and Tristan who also works in the fire department, but as an investigator. Tristan suffers from PTSD due to a traumatic episode during his childhood / adolescence, and has made it his life's mission to catch the person responsible for the death of his parents.

Following clues found in the latest fires, he ends up working with Hawk and sparks immediately flare between them.

The relationship between the characters develops quite fast and intense, since the time frame of this book is, at most, a week, still it is not a negative thing, since this is a short story and not too deep.

The discovery of the arsonist seemed a bit anticlimactic to me. The description suggests that the person responsible for the fires “takes an interest in Tristan”, which led me to believe that said person would persecute the characters in some way, but no. It was like that, in fact the person responsible appears only after it has been discovered…

As always, it was a read that I quite enjoyed and actually got me out of the little reading block I was in.

Friday, August 18, 2023

The Astronaut Dream Book

Details





A poisoned man dreams of astronauts.







Review

This is the first audiobook I've heard, and I'm so glad this book was my first experience with this format.

The story gave me vibes to a series of short stories called, Love, Death + Robots. ❤️๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿค–  At first it seems that each short story has no purpose or direction, as if it were a story floating alone in a vast sea, but if you pay attention to the small details you will realize that everything is related. It is like a puzzle, and I loved finding the pieces and trying to put it together.

Emphasis on: “trying to

I have so many questions and doubts regarding some things, and apparently I will have to listen to the other books in the series to understand… I already saw that the first one is called The Tower, and in this, which is the third part in the series, a place called The Tower is mentioned several times… So if I want answers, I have to read the others.

My favorite short was The Church of Death and Nothingness, it took some interesting turns and twists.

The narrator did an excellent job and I loved his voice ๐Ÿคค. Please, raise his paycheck ๐Ÿ˜… 

Thanks to Netgalley and Doom Fiction for this ARC.

Monday, August 14, 2023

These Silent stars

 

Details

The Devils of Vitality always spot a liar.

Rin Varun’s got something to hide.

That’s a lie. He’s got several things. Traveling to a different galaxy was meant to make his life less complicated, but a year in on this new planet, and he’s still fighting off his demons. There’s no better place to learn how to keep skeletons buried than the Academy, where they teach their cadets how to uncover them, and Rin is determined to graduate in order to ensure those demons stay hidden. He doesn’t want to stand out, doesn’t want accolades, or high marks. He just wants to coast by unnoticed, and he’s doing a decent job until he draws the attention of the Devil Prince.

Kelevra Diar doesn’t do disguises.

Who would bother with a mask when they have a face as tantalizing as his? As the Imperial Prince, Third in line for the throne, Kel’s used to getting anything and everything he wants faster than he can raise his hand to snap his fingers. The drawback to this is even murder has lost its intrigue, and there’s nothing more dangerous than a bored Devil of Vitality. Then a cadet catches his eye, and suddenly things are starting to look interesting again. Rin is unlike anyone Kelevra’s ever known, with monsters hiding under his bed that might rival Kel’s sociopathic nature.

When Kelevra decides to make it his mission to draw those monsters out to play, Rin unsurprisingly resists, but that only makes him more invested. Suddenly, the impulsive prince realizes he’s in this for the long haul, even if that means forcing Rin’s hand through an arranged betrothal. Rin has no idea why Kel has taken such an intense interest in him, but no matter what he tries, he can’t shake free of him. The sex between them may be explosive, and Kelevra may be the most attractive person he’s ever seen, but is that enough for Rin to drop his guard and reveal all his secrets?

Review

✨✨✨✨ ✨ Well, how should this start? My emotions and thoughts are scattered everywhere.

This book is a standalone, but it takes place in the same universe as Echo and the characters of each book are related to one another, so it is best enjoyed if you have already read Echo first. Another thing to keep in mind is that this book, like Echo, is a Dark Romance, so there is a list of content warnings that I don't recommend being ignored.


That said, I proceed with my review, I'll do my best to make it organized, but don't blame me if it's not… it's Kelevra's fault ๐Ÿฅฐ

The story begins with Kelevra Diar, Imperial Prince, Third in line for the throne of Vitality, as he watches a performance test for sophomore year cadets, where he first sees Rin Varun.

From that moment on, Kel becomes obsessed with Rin, among other things, because he realizes that Rin hides a lot of secrets that Kel wants to discover out of his boredom. And what was supposed to be a game to kill boredom and a one-night stand suddenly becomes an imperial decree of an arranged betrothal.

But there is a problem, well… a lot of problems really.๐Ÿ˜…

One of them being the fact that both Rin and his identical twin brother, Sila, want to keep a low profile and live without attracting attention, which they can't do if Rin is involved with His Imperial Highness… Kelevra Diar doesn't do disguises.

Why should he? He is:
Sexy
Arrogant
He always gets what he wants without having to ask for it.
Impulsive
He doesn't know the meaning of the word NO
Possessive
A bad boy in every sense of the word with a tragic past included ๐Ÿ˜‰

The story kept me on the verge of a collapse from beginning to end, whether it was the interactions and relationship development between Kel and Rin or the discovery of the secrets of the Varun twins, the hunt for clues to discover the “murderer” on campus. And just when I thought there were no more secrets or plot twists… I was proven wrong… over and over and over again.

What I liked the most is that Kel fell first, and he fell harder. And in his weird and twisted way, he always has Rin's welfare and best interests in mind, being his top priority.

So of course a fell for Kel, how was I supposed not to… I'm not that strong for Christsake!! Ok, I'm calm down

I hope the next book (because I'm sure will be more) will be about Sila, as there are many unanswered questions regarding him and his whereabouts, I'm curious.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Let me out


Details

A face-off with the devil! From writer Emmett Nahil (Leatherwood) and illustrator George Williams (Croc and Roll) comes a riveting queer horror story set against the backdrop of an outbreak of “satanic panic” sweeping the New Jersey suburbs in 1979.

When Pastor Holley's wife, Kelly, is found murdered, FBI agent Garrett takes on the case with local New Jersey Sheriff Mullen. Together, they start drumming up a convenient satanic-flavored scapegoat to cover up their own crimes of murder and experimentation. That scapegoat comes in the form of four Mitch, Terri, Lupe, and Jackson. The punks, the queers, and the outcasts. Soon, the group becomes the prime suspects of Kelly's murder. Now on the run from Garrett and Mullen, the group finds themselves in the midst of a deal with the devil themself.


Preview

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I am speechless.

This was my “out of my comfort zone reading”, and oh boy, it was outside what I usually read, indeed.

This graphic novel set in 1979 show the story of a small town in which a tragedy recently occurred. The inhabitants of the town want answers that the authorities cannot give them, since said event is part of even worse things that are happening, of which the authorities are aware and worse still… they are partly responsible.

In their attempt to cover up their crimes, they decide to take advantage of people's fear and start a whole plan to sow fear and suspicion throughout the town using the sermons of the local church pastor.

Of course, all this means that soon all the suspicions fall on the group of the “weird” of the town. A group of four friends who stand out for not fitting in at all… they dress differently, listen to “violent” music, among other things, which makes them the perfect scapegoat to be framed.

I don't want to go into too much detail to avoid spoilers. The story begins after the tragedy has already happened and no background or explanation of the situation is given, it just begins and as the reading progresses we discover everything. At a certain point in the story, it feels a lot like the West Memphis Three case, in the sense that the fear and narrow-mindedness of a town turned against a group of people who, probably, have nothing to do with what happened.

The art and illustrations are magnificent, the plot is also very well done. Horror is not a genre I read on a regular basis, but I enjoyed reading “Let me out.”

Monday, August 7, 2023

Prince's Priest

Details

The Prince of Bloodeaters is in love with a human priest. 

Living in a kingdom haunted by civil war and a plague called the Madness, two men will find their own way to fix their world. Viceroy Falco, the prince's ex-lover, wants an army of bloodeaters at his command and stands in their way at every turn. When Father John takes over the Glensdale church, he becomes a target for Falco's sadistic games. 

Dante is willing to sacrifice everything to keep Father John safe, but will he have to accept his position as Prince when the King falls ill? After running away ten years ago, will Dante be able to confess his love for John, fight Falco, and take on his title once again?


Preview

๐Ÿ˜ต‍๐Ÿ’ซ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ˜ณ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ OMG! 

I can't believe I had to wait for 98% of the book to get what I was looking for in this book ๐Ÿ˜…. 

Jesus Christ! What a wild ride. 

The first 32% of the book was slow and somewhat boring, but this is because it focuses on the construction of the world, giving some details, explanations, and the background of the characters. Once that's over, the real story begins. 

Something that kept me on edge throughout the reading is that in many moments the characters first act and then give the reasons, if they give them at all.

I got quite angry with Dante for not admitting who he is even though everyone already knew… Then I realized that it was not about hiding his identity from others, rather it was about him not knowing himself and much less accepting or recognizing himself. 

John is a hard-headed Priest ๐Ÿ˜… that will do what is necessary to help the townspeople and protect Dante. 

The best character in the whole book is Basque and I loved him  ๐Ÿฅฐ 

The only thing I can say I didn't like was the list of books that are/will be part of this series, which means I'll have to read them all (Cough, cough… notice sarcasm ๐Ÿคญ).

Friday, August 4, 2023

His moody mechanic


 Details

I’m a man with the need to fix everything…but Ken is the one I want to wreck.

I’m a rugged mechanic. An unrepentant grump. And as an openly gay man, I’m also the local pariah. The only reason I haven’t been chased out is that I’m as unmatched at throwing a punch as I am at wielding a wrench.

Ken is pretty and rich. He’s a sunny twenty to my jaded forty. Not only is he far too young for me, but he’s also the mayor’s son. We couldn’t be more different…and he couldn’t be more off-limits.

But when Ken’s car breaks down during a spell of bad weather, I do the right thing instead of the smart thing and give him a tow back to my workshop.

While I fix his ride, Ken reveals he’s gay too. Before the storm has passed, I’m thunderstruck by his confession that he wants me as much as I want him.

Our love is a small town secret that’s about to erupt into a big time scandal.

His Moody Mechanic is a standalone instalove romance. This is a sweet and spicy bite-sized read! Features an experienced older man and a younger man experiencing a gay awakening. Ends with a HEA. No cheating or cliffhangers.

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was cute.

Ken knows what he wants and who he wants. And although he needed a little help from Harley, he was always brave.

I would have liked a little more drama, but it wasn't bad.

But there is one question that does not leave me calm… What do Ken and Harley live on now? They are touring the country on their motorcycle aimlessly, but where do they get money for it? ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ

I guess it's part of the magic of the story. It's a book to read on a rainy afternoon or on the bus to work, a short story, insta-love, straight to the point.

Lovely characters and a really cute love story.

You Can Have My Back - Vol. 1


Details

I’ll Never Let You Go Again…

When Ionia, proud knight of the realm, loses his life in a violent insurrection, his memories are inherited by a boy born one day after his death. Years later, Leorino Cassieux, fourth son of the Margrave of Brungwurt and blessed with angelic beauty, begins to see Ionia’s memories in his dreams. He relives Ionia’s ill-fated romance with the king’s younger brother, Prince Gravis, as well as his death at the hands of a traitor to the kingdom! But as Leorino tries to make sense of the feeling swelling in his chest, he stumbles too close to the truth of that fateful day. The traitor’s identity is revealed, and in a panic, the traitor threatens to end himself and take Leorino with him! As Leorino’s life hangs in the balance, he instinctively cries out for his only the love of his past life, Gravis.



Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not what I expected, but it doesn't disappoint.

When I chose this ARC, I thought it was a graphic novel/manga, so my first surprise when I started reading was to realize that it wasn't. The second, in a long list of surprises, was the prologue… I think they should put a content warning so that readers don't stumble upon these kinds of scenes inadvertently. I'm not referring to the explicit content, I mean the no-con.

Third surprise… I thought it would be a novel with a renaissance plot, but it's not like that, at least not completely. Ionia and Leorino are two different people, except that Rino has Ionia's memories and while he sleeps he can access them and learn about Ionia's life.

I liked that Rino found a way to express his thoughts and desires despite the fact that the people around him insisted on pigeonholing him into stereotypes or making him fit into their own versions of what he should be.

Even though I'm not a fan of political intrigues, that part of the story was quite interesting, at times I got quite angry because certain situations could have been avoided if the characters stopped keeping important information to themselves. But hey, there's nothing we can do more than wait and see how it all unfolds.

I loved the illustrations at the beginning of the book. Many things remained pending, but I suppose they will be resolved in the following volumes.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Crossing Acheron


 Details

Malachy Donovan was born human. But after waking up in a pool of his own blood, he knew that fact, which once felt so certain, had been changed forever.

After being freed from imprisonment by Acheron and his elite unit of bodyguards, Malachy quickly learns the truth of his condition: he is a dhampir, a rare and powerful creature born half-human, half-vampire. Forced into a blood bond with the vampire prince—the same man who rescued him from captivity—to leave his side would be the same as being hunted down by the armies at Acheron’s command.

Now caught in a war between the prestigious vampire High Clans and the vampire anarchists who abducted him, Malachy finds himself at a crossroads: should he fight to retain his humanity among the creatures who would see him become a monster? Or give in to the growing attraction he has for the beautiful yet manipulative Acheron…and the dark allure of the underworld, said prince would do anything to protect?

Crossing Acheron is the first book in the LGBT+ dark fantasy series, Kin & Kine. This book features MM enemies-to-lovers, slow burn over high heat, promiscuous vampires and Machiavellian royalty, dragon-shifters, werewolves, and witches. Kin & Kine contains content some readers may find distressing and, as such, is intended for an adult audience.


Review

✨✨✨✨✨ I don't know what to say… this book was a wild ride, to say the least.

Plot twists that I didn't see coming in each chapter, complex characters with hidden motivations and who will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.

You can not trust anyone…

Of course, there is a love triangle between the main characters. It is quite complicated not only because of the love interest, but also because of the political implications and the relationship between them outside of passion, lust, and love/hate.

“My blood calls for yours, and yours mine.”

We have Acheron, prince of vampires, the epitome of the bad boy concept, he's everything that's wrong with a man, but you're still going to fall for him. There's no way around, Malachy falls, I fell, everyone they will fall for him, it is an undeniable fact.

Malachy is a human, not so human, who wakes up alone and badly injured in a cell with his captor trying to get him out and escape the people who are attacking his house, which he fails to do. Malachy is forced to walk out of a cell alone to end in another. Not only that, but Malachy is unknowingly caught in the middle of a sociopolitical conflict between the Vampire Court and the Clanless.

“Between Scylla and Charybdis.” 

 ☝๐Ÿป That sentence is the best way to exemplify the situation Malachy finds himself in… out of options, most of the time, and everyone around him wants something from him, everyone lies and wants to take advantage of Malachy.

Finally, there is Marcellus, leader of the Clanless, a group of rogue vampires who are against the Vampire Court form of government. He is Malachy's captor and creator, and apparently, the only one who knows about Malachy's true origin and abilities that go beyond what any other dhampir can do and that he obviously has hidden plans for Malachy and his extraordinary abilities. That's not to mention his complicated relationship with Acheron…

Malachy is trying to figure out whom he really is, gain control over his abilities, learn about the complicated relationships of the vampire court, fight his undeniable passion and lust for Acheron, and to top it all off, he's forced to fight and choose sides in a battle that is not his and whose implications he does not understand.

Like I said, it was a wild and unexpected ride, which I totally enjoyed, and I can't wait for the continuation of the story, hopefully and in the next book I have answers to all my questions.

Waves