Friday, February 28, 2014

Review: Of Last Resort by Megan Derr

Of Last Resort (Princes of Blood #1) by Megan Derr
Less Than 3 Press
Novel: 235pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
In a kingdom ravaged by the beasts and terrors of an ancient war, the only hope against them is the army of mixed-blood beings known as the King's Legion: dragoons, shadowmarch, sorcerers, titans … and the Princes of the Blood, nigh-invincible warriors of fearsome magic and strength, their only weakness a need for pure human blood.

When his brother runs away, Raffé agrees to undergo the Blooding, but he is a pale imitation of his strong, capable brother. No one expects him to survive and become a Prince, merely to die to save the rest of his family and preserve honor.

But runaways and weaklings are the least of the kingdom’s concerns when an ancient evil returns with new tricks, and their only hope lies with knowledge long lost and a fierce bond forged in darkness …

Review
Megan Derr has done it again. This author writes M/M fantasy like no other; her world building is incredible and always leaves me anticipating for more. I want more all the time, and I want it now.

Raffe isn't beautiful, he isn’t extraordinary, he isn't gifted he’s the looked over mouse in his family. He's talented with number but no one seems blown away with his gifts. His family has found him a match and his life should most likely be pleasant but uneventful. That is until his brother runs out on a important commitment and Raffe has to step up and take his place though his courage could end up taking his life. Raffe is to go through the blooding and become a Prince of Blood, fierce warriors who protect the kingdom and Raffe has most certainly bitten off more than he can chew. His brother would have been oerfect because he had the training but Raffe knows ye will most likely perish and never become a Prince because after-all he is of no importance and certainly of no strength.

Raffe is convinced he will not live through the blooding, and since it will be his last night alive he wants to something that will make his last night the sweetest. Too bad his fiancé is a prude and leaves him high dry. Just when Raffe feels forsaken a sexy stranger offers him his night, and what a glorious night of lovemaking it was. If he is meant to leave the world then he will have treasured memory of the very first person who have ever made him feel wanted, treasured, and in some way loved. When Raffe survives the blooding no one is more surprised than him, because now he is recognized as powerful and he stands with the great.

He takes to his skills like duck to water and while he does have moments of doubt he feels powerful and for the first time he has a family that take notice of him people who finally see him. All thats missing is his sexy lover who gave him a night never to forget and Raffe longs for his touch once again. Yet, his love life had to wait because a terribly enemy is upon on them and everyone is in danger. While new to his skills, Raffe has to serve as if he were a veteran and act like he knows what he's doing. What he might not be able to deal with the losses and a task so great that it will break him and his demon heart.

Once again, with most Megan Derr book there is a lot that his happening and so many great characters fill the pages. I could literally write pages to review this book but I'll keep it simple. There is love and loss, dragons, zombies, angels, sexy time, and shockers. I applaud the skills it takes to weave such a book and skills it take to keep all that in line. While there is a lot of world building it never felt like too much and it was always entertaining. In my head I can just picture the grandeur of the fight scenes and just beautiful colours it would all make.

I really liked all the characters and Raffe's secret lover was surprise I was like "wait now" never saw that coming. I like that they are vampire like but not really vampire like if that makes sense. The princes drink blood and so on but I think they're a little cooler than vamps :D. I shed a few tears, I was shocked out of mind by the twist there, and I thought I pegged the bad guy but I was way off.

Overall, Of Last Resort is an epic fantasy at its best filled with so much awesome and colour it’s hard not to fall in love. A fan of Megan Derr will love this book and fans of fantasy books that consumes you. You remove the sexy time and this book is just as great, romance or no romance it’s all out entertainment. I am looking forward to more in this series and I can't even wait...

SideNote- I wonder if anyone won the bet about Raffe's secret lover. I'm pretty sure they all were wrong, right?


5 Pants Off
DarienMoya

And The Winners Are...




CAROLYN
*Winner of Lumber & Law by Jena Wade*




JENNIFER
~Winner of the Vicktor Alexander giveaway~


Thanks to all who entered and the generosity of the authors...

Monday, February 24, 2014

Review: Old Loyalty, New Love by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by SinChan
Old Loyalty, New Love by Mary Calmes
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 246pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
When jackal shifter Quade Danas was banished from his pack for being gay, he spent years in the military escaping his father's prejudice before returning to civilian life as a bodyguard for Roman Howell, the teenage son of a very rich man. After Roman is in an accident that leaves him physically scarred and emotionally distant, Quade is the only one who can get through to him. As Roman becomes a man, he realizes what he wants—his bodyguard by his side and in his bed. Unfortunately, Quade can’t seem to see past the kid Roman once was to the man he has become, certain Roman’s feelings are merely misplaced gratitude. But Roman knows a lot more than Quade realizes, and he’s used to persevering, no matter how many impediments life throws his way. He wants the chance to prove to Quade that he’s strong enough for a jackal alpha to call mate. 

Despite the decades Quade has been away, and the heartache of his father’s rejection, his inborn loyalty to the pack remains, and his abrupt departure left the jackal shifters without an alpha heir. As a psychopath shifter staking claim as alpha draws Quade back home, and Quade feels compelled to heed the call, he may be forced to make a choice he never anticipated. But doing so means he must leave Roman behind… unless somehow they find a way to make loyalty and love work together.

Review
Quade is a jackal shifter and works as a bodyguard for Roman. Just when they reveal the paranormal secret and bring their relationship to a new level, Quade's sister shows up at their door, asking for help. After Quade's banishment, a string of alphas took control of the pack and the latest one is a tyrant. Everyone thinks Quade is the rightful alpha and the pack needs his help now, but can Quade give up his new found love and help a pack who stood up and did nothing to prevent his banishment?

This story has two great MCs. Quade and Roman are both strong characters in different ways. Roman is heavily scarred from a car accident, but still shows his scarred face in public and refuses to allow that to slow him down. He's the head of his family's company and runs many community events. He's very resourceful and super rich, but doesn't seem to abuse his inheritance (too much). It's an interesting and different set up in the story that Roman figured out Quade's shifter identity without Quade revealing himself and kept his knowledge a secret. In this relationship, Roman is clearly the "clever one" and with a personality to handle Quade's alpha personality.

I think Quade is very self sacrificing. He left his pack even though he had every right to stay. He should hate everyone in the pack who didn't step up to defend him when he got kicked out, but he helps them in their time of need instead.

The best part of the book is the tug-of-war between Quade and Roman for control of their relationship and their witty dialogue. Quade is so protective of Roman, but Roman is the smarter one and knew when to set in and override Quade's decisions. The story also sidetracks into Quade's previous romances showing up. It's a great contrast to show how Quade's idea of love matures and provides more detail on shifter life and mentality. The one downside of the story is the character's ages. Roman is 27 and Quade is 46. Sometimes it doesn't feel like they are that old....

I love the side mystery with Roman's other bodyguards. They seem to be other types of shifters. And there might even be some predator-prey love relationship going on. I just think that Roman's father must have had a shifter radar.

The romance between Quade and Roman is delightful to read. The drama with Quade's pack, fighting the tyrant alpha, and Quade's ex boyfriend adds to the romance and cements their relationship through trials of hardship. The paranormal aspects of the story are well explained. Overall, this is a great paranormal romance book and definitely a recommended read.

5 Pants Off



Review: Strain by Amelia C. Gormley

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Strain by Amelia C. Gormley
Riptide Publishing
Novel: 375pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Rhys Cooper is a dead man. Cut off from the world since childhood, he’s finally exposed to the lethal virus that wiped out most of the human race. Now his only hope for survival is infection by another strain that might confer immunity. But it’s sexually transmitted, and the degradation he feels at submitting to the entire squad of soldiers that rescued him eclipses any potential for pleasure—except with Darius, the squadron’s respected, capable leader.

Sergeant Darius Murrell has seen too much death and too little humanity. He’s spent a decade putting plague victims out of their misery and escorting survivors to a safe haven he can never enjoy. He’d rather help Rhys live than put him down, so when Rhys can’t reconcile himself to doing what’s necessary to survive, Darius is forced to save Rhys in spite of himself.

But with each passing day, it looks less and less likely that Rhys can be saved. Which means that soon Darius might have to put a bullet in the head of the one person in years who reminds him of what it means to be human.

Review
I will tell you that I read the blurb on the Riptide Website and I requested this book because it sounded so unlike anything that I’d read before. I’ve not read a bunch of Post-Apocalyptic books before and I wanted to stretch my brain a bit and see if I could be carried away. I WAS!!! Barely stopped to sleep, I had to finish this book!!!

This was not an easy story. This was such a harsh world that Rhys and the others lived in. The story wasn’t one of things/the world getting better, however, it was about survival. This is a complex story regarding just what you will do to survive and what you need to survive.

Let’s begin with what happened to the world, hmm? So there was this man-made virus that was to be used in viral warfare, the virus worked-ish. There was the main virus Alpha that was created for the Juggernauts. These were soldiers who were first infected and used as guinea pigs to see how the virus worked. They now protect survivors from the Zombie like creatures called Revs. Revs were people who got a certain mutated strain of the virus and it didn’t kill them, however, what it did was change them until there wasn’t a shred of humanity left. The other mutated strain of the virus become Rot which is just basically saying that you’re going to die. No ands, ifs or buts about it. Nothing can stop it.

Rhys is a 19 year old young man who has lived the past 7 years in hiding from the Revs and Rot. He has been emotionally and physically abused almost from the moment he and his family arrived. He was made to feel that his being gay was against God and the Church. The religious zealot that ran the monastery and his son, were Rhys’ chief tormentors. We don’t get to see it first hand, but due to what Rhys says and his feelings and the memories that we are privy too, you get a clear vision of what his life was like.

Rhys actions throughout most of this book were so very complex and yet so very simple. He was fighting about 7 years worth of abuse in regards to what he wanted and what he craved, both sexually and emotionally. The want/the cravings that Rhys has were so mired in the harsh, religious household from which he’d been living in.

Darius was a different sort of Alpha Man for me I loved that he took on the responsibility to help Rhys out. But I also loved just the way he led his team. The strength of character and strength of mind that he showed throughout the book also drew me to him. I liked that even when he finally really owned up to wanting Rhys and the possessive feelings that he’d been having for awhile, that he still wanted to make sure that make sure that it was something that Rhys wanted. That he didn’t just gloss over them and take what he wanted, just made me fall a bit for him.

Now, I will say that this book was a really dark read. There is lots of sex in here. That must be known from the get go. You also should know that a lot of what happens is dubious consent. Rhys has to have sex with multiple men in the hopes that he will get cured from an infection that he received in the very beginning of the book. If you don’t like sex with multiple partners and what is considered dubious consent, this might not be the book for you.

I liked the secondary characters in this book. Each of them was different in temperament and yet they were all such skilled warriors. Xolani was my FAVORITE Character in this story. She was a wonderfully strong female character. She was tough and decisive. She is a strong second in command for Darius. Where he needs to see not only the obvious, but to see what needs to be done. She is AMAZING!! I love how she says some very insightful things that really makes you pause and think about the meaning of her words. The other guys/gals that make up the Jugs are pretty cool as well. No one that survived has had an easy life and yet, through it all, they retain this wonderful sense of humanity.

Overall, this book was so very well done. The story actually flowed so smoothly that I couldn’t believe that it was over. Amelia had me from the very first page until the very end. I liked that it was more a HFN, we don’t know how it truly ends. Just that this part is over. I liked that both Rhys and Darius had some issues to work on that eventually they had to learn to speak to each other and actually say what they wanted and how they felt. It was such a dark, complex story with wonderful world-building.

You. Will. Not. Be. Disappointed. By. Reading. This. Book.

5 Pants Off

Friday, February 21, 2014

Review: Kept Tears by Jana Denardo

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Kept Tears by Jana Denardo
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 210pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Having left most of his arm and his self-confidence behind in the Afghanistan desert, young veteran Aaron Santori has enough on his plate learning to use his prosthetic arm. Attending graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh makes life both interesting and challenging. Mentally, he's ill prepared for meeting Rhys Edwards, a young-adult novelist from Wales and everything Aaron could want in a man. Between the scars from the explosion and his PTSD, he’s reluctant to date. Ready or not, though, Aaron finds himself jumping into the deep end of the relationship waters. 

What Aaron couldn’t possibly know is that Rhys isn’t human at all. As a prince of the Tylwyth Teg, Rhys is fae, with a list of enemies he’s accumulated over the past few centuries—among them a former lover, Morcant, who is back to make Rhys’s life miserable. An unwitting pawn in their Machiavellian fae politics, Aaron only knows he’s falling in love, never suspecting love might be his death sentence.

Review
This story had so much going on. You have a young veteran, Aaron who was badly injured in an IED attack. He’s been back on US soil for a bit trying to get better and going back to school. He’s a HUGE Steampunk/Nerdy Fan and he’s absolutely adorkable!! He’s young and kind and sweet and even more than that, he’s absolutely the kind of guy that you’d want to wrap in your arms and just make sure nothing bad happens to.

Rhys is Fae and not only Fae, but he’s a Prince. He’s lived a long life and has had many human lovers. The thing I liked about Rhys was he was more secure in who he was. Even with that, he was drawn to Aaron. He was loving, attentive, kind and just an all-around good guy. He took his responsibilities very seriously. To protect his family and the humans that he lived amongst. I liked the integrity that he showed throughout the book.

Now, I know that this is going to shock some people, but Rhys is married. To a woman!! Now, don’t get up in arms just yet, it was actually ok. I loved that that was an added surprise to the story. Now, at first I was pretty shocked, just like Aaron was when Rhys told him. But when Rhys explained his life to Aaron, I was like, Oh, okay. I totally get it. Not a problem.

The secondary characters were actually pretty darn groovy!! They were funny and they gave the truth in fun ways and yet they really showed that they cared and gave not only words of support, but they showed it through their actions. They were the kind of people that you’d really like to have in your life. I truly loved Rhys’ conversations with his sons, lots of laughter and love.

I liked how the story was true to Aaron’s feelings regarding dealing with PTSD. The way his body wasn’t perfect like it was before he got hurt. I liked that he had his insecurities and that he was working through his issues. I loved how he was so involved getting help and still going to school. That he wanted to make not only himself better, but to be able to help others. I loved the strength of Aaron’s character. He was such an amazing character. I kept falling in love with him.

I would recommend reading this book. There was the element of fantasy and romance that just worked so very smoothly together. A great way to spend a couple of hours. Trust me!!

4 Pants Off

Short Review: Come to Me by Megan Derr

Come to Me (Black Magic #2) by Megan Derr
Less Than 3 Press
Short Story: 43pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
The roles of High Paladin and High Necromancer do not allow for much free time, even less where they might spend it together. When they do finally obtain some time to spend with each other, Sorin and Koray find there are still doubts and fears between them that will take more than time to overcome …




Short Review:
I love anything by Megan Derr and this little short featuring two of my fave characters from Black Magic is no exception. High Paladin Sorin and his High Necromancer lover Koray are about to get it on and clear up some rumors along the way.

Their high ranking jobs don't leave much for alone time and the men are feeling the effects. When Sorin decides to seek out his man, he can't help feeling jealous when he finds him with someone else and starts to think that maybe Koray doesn't feel the same way. After all Koray is beautiful and might eventually get tired of him and want to move on. When he finally confronts Koray with his fears, Koray's answers are both hilarious and foolish. Now is the time to prove that Koray isn't lacking as a lover and he is everything he ever wanted and more.

Love, love, love this little short which is a perfect read for Valentine’s Day. Koray and Sorin are still very delicious their world still just as exciting in the few little pages, and I can never get enough. There's also this little tidbit where Koray loses his hair and near damn well cried. Yet, it goes to prove their love and blah, blah (he freaking bloody lost all that gorgeous hair) if it wasn't for those meddling kids. Still, a really cute short just perfect if you're a fan of Koray and Sorin.

4 Pants Off
DarienMoya

Review: Book #1 Black Magic

Review: Hound Dog & Bean by B.G Thomas

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Hound Dog & Bean by B.G Thomas
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 275pgs
4.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
There's been little love in H.D. "Hound Dog" Fisher's life since the death of his beloved mom when he was a boy. Bounced around the foster care system, he ran away as soon as he could… and took the foster dog with him. As far as he's concerned, only dogs have no ulterior motive, never hold a grudge, and offer unconditional love. Now he helps run a no-kill shelter and leaves relationships where they belong: in the back room. 

"Bean" Alexander settled in Kansas City to open his coffee shop after years of traveling. He never expected to open his heart too. When a man with a grudge takes a swing at H.D. while in line at Bean's shop, Bean jumps to intervene. 

So taking a hit for H.D. gets Bean noticed, and H.D. feels obligated to pay a debt. But then the unexpected happens. A series of misadventures causes H.D. to open up—but falling in love makes him turn tail and run. Trust is a tough road to travel. Will good friends, a dog named Sarah Jane, and a bit of folk magic be enough to bring Hound Dog and Bean a happy ending?

Review
This was such a cute lil story. I enjoyed the time that I spent reading it.

We begin this story with H.D. who is just about the cutest lil hippie guy EVA!! He grew up in the foster system and now works at this no kill shelter. He’s been free with his body, but never his heart. He feels that people aren’t always so good to each other and that only animals, dogs in particular are the best things to ever happen to him. H.D. has this ability in regards to placing animals with people. It’s almost like the same thing with himself as well. He seems to think that he always knows what is the best for him, even when it’s quite clear that he doesn’t.

Now, Bean is just the sweetest darn thing I’ve read in long while. He’s got this cafe that he’s started after working in the coffee business for a few years. He’s mad some amazing contacts that he’s kept up with and has this establishment that he’s quite happy to call his own. He’s got this great heart and he’s been saving up all this love and passion for just the right person. He’s honest and loyal and kind everything that you could possibly wish for in a person.

Now, I will be the first to admit, I’m such a sucker for B.G.’s books. I love them! They tell a story. It’s not that insta-love that you find in so many books. These characters have some issues to work through and the author doesn’t make it always so easy. I like that there is a bit of angst in the story, but I also like that you know that you’re going to get an HEA.

The secondary characters in this book were truly great. I love that the two best friends of these guys were such good friends to them. I love that even with what was happening between the guys, that they still had made a relationship between them work and didn’t let it affect them. They proved that you can still be there for your friend, and yet still allow love and happiness comes into your life. The guys weren’t the only things happening in their lives. They were such good supportive characters. They added a bit of humour and overall charm to the story.

I will say that overall, this book was really sweet and had plenty of charm. There was ups and downs. There was love and laughter. There was angst thrown in to add some tension in the story. But what’s a story without a bit tension to make it that much better when the MC’s get together. You’ll enjoy the time you took reading this book.

4.5 Pants Off

Promo Post: An American Lamb in Europe by Rob Colton

New Release Announcement


An American Lamb in Europe

By Rob Colton

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Pages: 120

Cover Artist: Christy Caughie


Blurb:
Jamie Anderson knows you need to look before you leap, but he forgets it often enough to land in trouble. When his brother and only remaining family member disappears, he doesn’t think twice about quitting his job as a dental hygienist to travel to the Czech Republic to search for him.

Rescued by the sexy, mysterious Tomas in a small city near the German border, Jamie enlists his help in locating Rudy. Soon Jamie realizes the man knows more than he’s sharing. When Jamie demands Tomas tell him the truth, Tomas reveals he’s a vampire. Horrified the man he’s fantasized about is a monster, Jamie struggles with the fact he still needs Tomas's help to find Rudy.

Jamie never expects their search will land him in the middle of a vampire turf war.

Excerpt
I followed Tomas out of the front door, with Otto and Horst close behind us.

Since it had rained all day, the temperature had cooled considerably and the fog was thick once again. I zipped my coat all the way up and pushed my hands into my pockets as I tried to keep up with Tomas’s long strides.

“We are meeting a powerful vampire named Emeline,” Tomas explained. “She is a princess of the Vampire Nation of France. Your brother was a lamb bonded to her coven.”

My mouth fell open. “A French princess?”

“Yes. There are three main covens fighting for dominance in this region: the French, the Eastern Europeans, and the Russians.”

“What about you?”

“We are here to keep peace.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but I noticed we had slowed down in front of an old cemetery. Through the fog, I could see a small church sitting back on the property. Flickering lights lit up the stained glass windows. It was quite beautiful, despite the sense of danger that hung in the air.

Tomas pushed open the metal gate, and we cut through the cemetery toward the church.

“Can you go in there?” I asked, nodding my chin toward the church. “You know, on consecrated holy grounds?”

Tomas chuckled. “Of course. Vampirism has nothing to do with religion, lämmchen. It is not some curse from God.”

I moved quickly, trying to keep up with Tomas. The fog winding around the tombstones was mega-creepy, and I wanted to get to the church as quickly as possible. Consecrated grounds sounded pretty good about now, despite what Tomas said.

Tomas pushed open the doors, and they creaked like an old horror movie, loudly echoing throughout the sanctuary. As we entered the building, I couldn’t help but feel creeped out and on edge. I shivered—and it wasn’t from the cold.

The inside of the church was dimly illuminated with candles, adding to the already ominous mood. I looked around for a priest or some kind of caretaker, but the church appeared empty, without a soul in sight.

We walked up the aisle to the church’s altar. Tomas sat down on the single step, and I sat next to him. I crossed my arms around my chest, trying to keep warm.

The blond, Otto, jumped up onto the stone altar and sat down.

Horst looked around, making sure we were alone. After he walked the perimeter, he moved to the altar to stand near Otto, still wearing a scowl on his face.

“I guess we’re early,” I said, trying to fill the silence.

Tomas grunted impatiently and frowned at the door. He clearly didn’t like to be kept waiting.

My foot was tapping a mile a minute. I was nervous. When I get nervous, I tend to babble. “So… can you like, turn into a bat?”



Author Bio:
Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feature big, burly men who find true love and happy endings.

Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.

Visit Rob online: 

http://robcolton.com/ 

https://twitter.com/robcub32 

https://www.facebook.com/robcub32

Purchase Links: 
Dreamspinner Press

All Romance Ebooks

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Excerpt, Review, & Giveaway: Holding on to Hope by Sid Love


Blurb:
BLURB: Bradley Parker has waited twenty years for Mr. Right, and on Valentine’s Day, he finally finds him. It’s love at first sight, and Brad even loses his virginity to the man of his dreams. But when he wakes up the next morning unable to remember anything—even what the man looked like—his best friend, Leslie, is convinced he imagined the whole thing. Brad knows he didn’t make up the best night of his life, but he has no idea of the danger he’s putting himself in as he struggles to recall the details of his perfect man. His search may lead him to parts of New York City he never dreamed existed and a war being waged in the shadows.





BUY LINK:http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4633



Review
I have mixed feelings about Holding on to Hope. In one hand I found certain parts very enjoyable and in the other hand I was equally annoyed by most of it. It could all come down to the unique way in the storytelling, my feels are misplaced.

Bradley Cooper has just met the man of his dreams and lost his virginity on the most romantic night of the year. The only problem is that he can't really remember the details and the name of the guy but he knows he was beautiful. If it wasn't for the constant ache in his ass it could all just wind down to the tale of a drunken man getting caught in his fantasies. With his best-friend Leslie at his side they're going to find this mystery man but finding this man isn't the outcome they expected and maybe they should have left it at a night to forget.

What they find out is a world filled with vampires and their offspring’s and mind control, Brad and Leslie are about to be caught up in fight between a father and son. Seems Brad mystery man has some secrets and there is a price when it comes to learning the truth.

First off, the story is told from Leslie's perspective (it’s neat) but it really made me enjoy the story less. Like all I'm getting is her feelings and impressions of the other characters so I wasn't 100% invested in it all. Like Brad trying to find Ronan was interesting enough but after the whole Dhampire thing it sort of fizzled for me. I just wish there was another villain with a different plot line and just something else because for me it was missing something.

Overall, a likable story with interesting characters but with everything coming from Leslie's POV, I feel like I didn't get to know the boys very well. A good choice if you're looking for something sweet and a nice little love story.

3 Pants Off

DarienMoya


Excerpt

“Okay, remember how I said it is huge?” Brad finally spoke, and Leslie nodded her head to let him know she was all ears. “Well, it is. Last night, something happened, something unimaginable… beyond any of my wildest dreams. I never thought….”

“Brad.” Leslie yawned. “To the point, please. I don’t have all day.”

“Okay, all right! What happened is….” He paused, plastering a big grin on his face. She tried very hard not to roll her eyes, letting him tell her at his own pace. “Last night, my dear, I finally got laid!”

When he broke the news to her, Leslie’s subsequent yawn was cut short by the initial shock she went through. Her body jerked forward, now fully awakened. There wasn’t any amount of caffeine that would have made her feel as lively as she felt at that moment.

This was definitely huge, and not just for Brad. Over the years, Leslie had constantly tried and consequently failed in hooking him up with several guys. Bradley Joseph Parker had the arrogance of a drag queen, she thought. He was too picky when it came to dating and relationships; never wishing to settle for anything less. He dreamt of a guy whose mere presence would take his breath away, who would be so handsome that every girl and every gay guy in the world would yearn to have him in their lives. “Such a guy would only belong to me, holding my hand in a roomful of envious people,” he would say with a smirk. “I would look around and say to them ‘Suck it up, bitches! He is mine!’”

Brad had wasted years with these stupid fantasies, and he had remained a virgin. So Leslie never thought the day would come when Brad’s whining would ever end.

But it had. And Leslie thought she would faint, even with the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

“Wha—?” She became aware of the fact that she had left her mouth hanging open for too long and shut it immediately. A smile crept across her lips, getting bigger by the second, and it turned into a cheek-hurting grin. “Oh my God! Shut up. Seriously?” She quickly sat up, hopping on the bed to cross her legs.

“Very seriously, Les.” Brad’s cute face beamed with wonder and excitement. Leslie couldn’t blame him. She remembered the day she had had sex for the first time, and even though it was a while back, she couldn’t forget the bliss she’d felt after finally losing her virginity or the hunger she felt for getting some more. Leslie was ready to bet that Brad was experiencing similar whirls of emotions in him.

“Last night, on Valentine’s Day…?” she asked.

Brad gave a nod. “On Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s so funny.” Leslie laughed out loud. Even though Valentine’s Day never meant anything to her, something this huge happening to her best friend did force her to consider it a special day. “Okay, you have to tell me everything, dude! Don’t leave out a single detail. I don’t care if it’s too much information. I just have to know. How long has this been going on between you two?”

Brad laughed. “Not too long. I just met him yesterday.”

“And you slept with him already?” Leslie’s mind was drawing up the picture of the perfect guy in her imagination, a guy who had managed to entice someone like Brad in such a short time. She was sure he would be down-to-earth, with an impeccably charming personality. “Way to go! I won’t deny it; I like the spontaneous Brad. Who is this guy, by the way? Do I know him?”

“No, you don’t.” His smile wavered a bit.

“Well, what’s his name?”

Leslie watched him hesitate for a moment. “I… don’t know.”

It took her by surprise.

“I think my devilish side just had a mind-blowing orgasm. You not only have sex with a guy for the first time, but you are also telling me it was simply a one-night stand?” She put her hand over her heart and mockingly said, “Mama Les is so proud of her boy!”

“But Les,” he knitted his eyebrows together as he stood up and came over to sit by her side. He took hold of Leslie’s hand, and she felt his grip tightening when he said, “It wasn’t a one-night stand. Definitely not, uh-uh.” He shook his head, and she immediately wondered if he was trying to convince her or himself. “It was special to me, and I could tell it was special for him too. Why else would he go to extremes to make that night an unforgettable memory? He lit up hundreds of scented candles in the room for me, and there were rose petals all over the bed where we did it.” Leslie didn’t miss the blush forming on his face again as he spoke. “There was champagne, sweet music, and he was a perfect gentleman. He kept asking me if I was sure about this.”

“WOW! Sounds utterly cheesy to me….” Leslie said, although she was quite impressed by all of it and maybe a bit jealous too.

Brad let go of her hand and sighed. “It was damn romantic.”

Leslie moved her gaze around the dorm room, scrutinizing it. “I am guessing it wasn’t here you did it then?” She inquired, turning to face him and watched him slowly crossing his legs like she had.

“No, he took me to his place.” Brad had his mouth open to probably add something more, but he stopped abruptly, scrunched his nose up, and glanced at her with some doubt. “I think it was his place… I don’t know. Where else would he take me?”

Leslie noticed uncertainty, even when he shrugged. What Brad was saying didn’t make any sense to her. “The champagne! Did you have too much of it?”

He frowned. “God, no! Why would I want to give him the impression I’m an idiotic drunkard on our first meeting?”

Of course she didn’t believe him. “Right, says the one who’d put Britney Spears to shame with his underage drinking. Seriously, dude, I’ve had to pick you up in a drunken state from God knows how many parties by now. So don’t shit me by saying you didn’t have any amount of alcohol in you last night.”

Brad reddened and carefully said, “I may have had a little bit of alcohol.”

Typical. Leslie rolled her eyes. “Weren’t you at Ian’s party last night?” She tried to keep her face straight as she asked. The party he had gone to was for all the single men and ladies from their college. Leslie knew exactly how that turned out every year by the end of the night.

He gave a nod in reply.

“Well, maybe you did it at his place?”

“No, it can’t be because we were partying at a nightclub last night.”

“Since when do nightclubs allow in a bunch of twenty year-olds?” she asked, certain they must have been stopped at the door for IDs. She couldn’t say about the others, but Brad’s cute baby face did give away his age.

“They don’t, but Ian somehow knew a few guys working at this nightclub that we went to, so we were able to sneak in.” He grinned.

Leslie suddenly wished she could have joined them. “Lucky you!” Now she couldn’t wait for May to arrive; that was when she turned twenty-one. She had been planning it in her mind forever. “So you met this mysterious guy in that club?”

“Yes, I think so.” Brad chewed on his lower lip.

“Well, what did he say to you? What did he look like?”

Brad turned sorrowful. “If I only knew….” He hung his head down and began to pull on his hair. “Fuck, Les!” He yelled, then looked up, scowling at her. “I can’t seem to remember any of it. The only thing that has managed to stay stuck in my memory is the mind-blowing sex that I had with him. I even remember all the positions we did it in, and God, that guy has the stamina of a wild lion, I tell you.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sid Love grew up in one of busiest cities in the world, Mumbai, listening to the excerpts of Indian epics from his father every night. While it served as an inspiration back in time, he has always had an ambitious mind. In 2007, when he had just turned sixteen, he decided that he would make his lifelong dream come true—to become a well-known, respected author some day.

Ask him and he would refuse to accept that he is obsessed with books. Or movies. Or TV shows. Addicted may even be the right word. He is a die-hard fan of Jane Austen’s romance novels and loves to reread them time and again.

You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sid.love.16?ref=tn_tnmn or tweet him anytime: https://twitter.com/FatefulMercy, or simply e-mail him at sidlovethewriter@live.in.


GIVEAWAY
Tourwide - 5 E-copies of the book
$25 Amazon GC!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

And the Winner Is....



ASHLEY

*Winner of No Such Thing by A.M Arthur. Thanks to A.M for offering up a copy of the book for giveaway.*

Review: Shadowkings I: The Beginning by Mychael Black

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Shadowkings l: The Beginning by Mychael Black
Torquere Press
Novel: 163pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Witchcraft and homosexuality are punishable by death, but it doesn’t stop Lucca Moretti from embracing both. Lucca fears no man, but he has one weakness: his twin brother, Gabriele. When tragedy strikes, Lucca and Gabriele have few options, but they do have allies. They flee from the wreckage of their family’s home and take refuge in the home of Lorik, the unofficial leader of the vampires in the city of Rome. Lorik offers them safety, but not without a price. 

Gabriele has spent years fighting an unholy desire for his twin, but even his fear is no match for the lure of Lucca’s kiss. In this new world they’ve stumbled into, however, there is much more to the people around them than meets the eye. 

The vampires are at war, and Lorik’s court mage sees something in Lucca that could turn the tide in their favor. Secrets come to light which can either aid the twins in saving the new family they’ve found, or destroy them all.

Review
This book was different from what I normally read. I’ve not had a chance to read much Twincest books, but this was filled with so much imagination and vivid storytelling, that I couldn’t resist it.

Lucca Moretti is this guy who is in love with his twin. That is first and foremost what you need to know about him. He’s that bad boy who everyone always falls for. He has always had these powers that he’s known for, and not in a good way. The people talk about him, that he’s evil, but he’s really not. He’s got these gifts that even his brother has no idea about. Even in taking pleasure in other men, it’s always his twin that he sees. He is this deep, dark character that really pulls you into his web.

Gabriele Moretti is the sweeter twin. He’s been in love with Lucca for as long as he can remember. He waivers back and forth regarding what he feels for Lucca. He’s battling the teachings of the Church and what he thinks is right. Gabriele is innocent in the sense of the darkness that seems to follow Lucca around. He’s the conscience and softer side whereas; Lucca is the harder, dominant side.

This story had vampires, different realms, and Shadowkings. It was filled with harsh violence. The very things that the author described was harsh and made me catch my breath. It was part of the story and it wasn’t truly excessive, but it was harsh. I loved how the vampires were written. It wasn’t the stereotypical view of them, but it was still a nice and different version and it helped make the story even better in my opinion.

The secondary characters were such a part of the story that they also helped it flow smoothly. They were in turns very helpful and some, just there to stir the pot. They each carried a part of the story on their back to help or hinder the brothers along. I really liked Lorik and Dorian. I liked how they each brought out different things to the table. There are so many wonderful characters in this story; I can’t to see what happens next.

The story really flowed smoothly. I wasn’t taken out of the story at any point. I read it straight through. I was drawn into the story and when it was over, I was sad. I then remembered that this was only the first part in a series and that I’ll get to see these guys again.

4 Pants Off

Guest Post & Giveaways: Part Two: The Juggernaut Batallion by Amelia C. Gormley



Do you like DVD extras? Yeah? So do I. In fact, it’s entirely possible I’ve watched the appendices on the Lord of the Rings extended editions more times than I have the movies themselves.

So for the Strain blog tour, I’m going to try to make my posts a bit like the “behind-the-scenes/making-of” documentaries you might find on a good DVD. A lot of things the world-building and events that Strain depends on happen long before the events of the book itself, and while an in-depth recap of them during the course of Strain got in the way of the flow of the story, I find some of the back-story fascinating and hope you will as well.

Be sure to check the blog tour page at Riptide to see when each of these posts is scheduled.

Commenters at each stop along the way will be entered into a drawing for the chance to win one of three eBook copies of Impulse: The Complete Trilogy, the all-in-one edition of my novel-in-three parts. Please include your contact information, either email, Twitter, or Facebook. The Contest will be open until February 28th, with the winner being announced March 1—just in time for the release of Every Inch of the Way/To the Very Last Inch (The Professor’s Rule #4 and #5), the final two installments of my series with Heidi Belleau. So stay tuned for that as well!

*****
The World, History, and People of Strain, Part Two: The Juggernaut Battalion

When the surviving troops of Project Juggernaut were exiled from the Colorado Springs Clean Zone, they split up by company and divided the continental United States into sectors. Each company would canvas a specific sector, hunting for revenants and quarantining uninfected civilians for escort back to the Clean Zone. It was a project which would take years, but only once all the Gamma-infected revenants were eliminated and the uninfected population accounted for could they be confident that the plague would be over.

Of the companies who remained in the western part of the continent, Charlie Company was sent to clear the lower plains states and down into Texas, with the goal of eventually moving into Mexico. Bravo Company cleared through the Pacific Southwest, and Delta Company was charged with working their way through the Rocky Mountain states to the Pacific Northwest.

What few fuel cells were unclaimed by the civilians rebuilding in Colorado Springs were set aside for two purposes: one, to power infrared scanners which would help locate pockets of revenants and survivors, and two, to power a radio network the companies used to keep in contact and report on their progress.

It was Sierra Company—assigned to clear the upper plains states and into the Midwest toward Chicago—who first noticed something wrong with Charlie Company’s operations. One of the Sierra Company detachments sent to escort recovered civilians to Colorado Springs twice a year encountered a detachment on a similar mission from Charlie Company. The Jugs of Charlie Company were unaccountably stand-offish, though, in light of the fact that such chance meetings were generally times for celebration and becoming reacquainted with their comrades. But what truly troubled the squadron from Sierra Company was the state of the civilians the squadron from Charlie Company was escorting. It became apparent that they were neglected and regarded the troops of Charlie Company as jailors, rather than rescuers. When discretely questioned, however, the civilians recovered by Charlie Company were reluctant—one might even say terrified—to speak about their experiences.

Until one angry woman stormed forward and began yelling defiantly about the enforced labor the civilians had been subjected to during their time with Charlie Company, and the abduction of her teenaged daughter and son out of the quarantine. They were taken into Charlie Company’s encampment and never returned, even when the rest of the civilians were sent on to Colorado Springs.

No sooner had the woman finished sharing her tale, than a bullet through the back of the head silenced her for good. A surprise attack by the Charlie Company squadron against the Sierra Company troops followed. When it was over, all but two of the Sierra Company detachment—including the civilians they had been escorting—had survived. Those two managed to evade capture by the Charlie Company troops and rejoined their company to report what they had learned.

Though the power to their radio network was nearing depletion, Sierra informed the rest of companies of the 1st Juggernaut Battalion. The others were too far east, and so it was decided that Sierra would join with Bravo and Delta Companies to march against Charlie Company’s encampment where they were entrenched along the Rio Grande. There was no way to prevent Charlie Company overhearing the radio traffic and learning of their intentions, so while the other companies converged, Charlie Company had time to establish their defenses. Though Sierra, Delta and Bravo had numbers on their side, it would be a bloody battle with casualties the Jugs could scarcely afford.

Charlie Company might have won, if not for one decisive factor—the civilians they had pressed into service as harem slaves. Among these were Bailey and Brenda Morris, the son and daughter of the brave woman who had been killed reporting the truth to the Sierra Company detachment. By happenstance, they had come to realize that they possessed strength, reflexes and stamina equal to those of the Jugs—they had, in fact, become Jugs. No one understood how, but since none of the field or domestic slaves had acquired similar abilities, it was later deduced that they must have contracted the Alpha strain by means of sexual transmission. The harem slaves had guarded this secret closely for months as they listened to their captors plan Charlie Company’s defenses against the coming attack from their erstwhile comrades. And while Charlie Company was engaged in combat, their slaves attacked from behind, providing the distraction Bravo, Delta, and Sierra companies needed to break Charlie’s defenses and triumph.

The commanding officers of Bravo, Delta and Sierra quickly established a tribunal and held trials for the remaining members of Charlie Company. Though not all of Charlie Company had taken slaves, they had nonetheless permitted, abetted, and fought alongside the ones who had.

Not a single member of Charlie Company—even those who claimed to disapprove of what the others had done—had tried to stop or turned against her own brethren. The tribunal debated the matter bitterly, but in the end decided that no one with a Jug’s abilities who lacked the conscience to speak up or stop such an atrocity could be permitted to exist freely, and both the perpetrators and the collaborators were sentenced to die.

Those sentences were commuted for a handful of Charlie’s men and women, thanks to the slaves. They reported that some of those members of Charlie Company who had remained neutral had worked behind the scenes to aid the slaves and see that they were treated well when they could. Those men and women were divided among Bravo, Delta, and Sierra Companies, where they would replenish their numbers after the losses sustained in the battle, and where they could also be monitored closely for any possible future threats.

The harem slaves who had contracted the Alpha strain could never join the rest of the civilian population in Colorado Springs; they were now Jugs and would remain so. Most stayed in Texas to establish a new Charlie Company, with training and assistance by volunteers from the other Jugs. Brenda Morris was one of those who stayed behind, and eventually became Charlie Company’s CO. Her brother Bailey chose to go with Delta Company and became one of them. The uninfected domestic and field slaves were given the choice between escort to Colorado Springs or becoming voluntarily infected with the Alpha strain to help bolster the Jugs numbers after their losses. Most of those who chose to become Jugs went with Bravo Company, which had taken the heaviest casualties, and thus Bravo Company became the first company of Jugs to recruit from the civilian population.

The necessary steps involved in “recruiting” caused considerable consternation among the remaining companies of Jugs, but the last of the fuel cells powering the Jugs’ radio network were drained before a universal policy regarding recruitment could be implemented. As a result, each company was left to its own devices, and each was keenly aware that if another company went bad the way Charlie Company had, there would be no way to coordinate a response to stop them. The companies now exist and function entirely independently of one another, unaware of each other’s activities except when they meet while delivering civilians to the clean zone twice a year.

*****

The Strain Blog Tour:
Part One: Project Juggernaut 
Part Two: The Juggernaut Battalion 
Part Three: Does a Sex Scene Have to be Sexy?
Part Four: The Women of Delta Company
Part Five: Bonus Deleted BDSM Scene
Part Six: Giving Life (Fluid Exchange as a Theme in Strain)
Part Seven: A Sneak Peek at Bane, the prequel to Strain.

In a world with little hope and no rules, the only thing they have to lose is themselves.

Rhys Cooper is a dead man. Cut off from the world since childhood, he’s finally exposed to the lethal virus that wiped out most of the human race. Now his only hope for survival is infection by another strain that might provide immunity. But it’s sexually transmitted, and the degradation he feels at submitting to the entire squad of soldiers that rescued him eclipses any potential for pleasure—except with Darius, the squadron’s respected, capable leader.

Sergeant Darius Murrell has seen too much death and too little humanity. He’s spent a decade putting plague victims out of their misery and escorting survivors to a safe haven he can never enjoy. He’d rather help Rhys live than put him down, so when Rhys can’t reconcile himself to doing what’s necessary to survive, Darius is forced to save Rhys in spite of himself.

But with each passing day, it looks less and less likely that Rhys can be saved. And that means that Darius might soon have to put a bullet in the head of the one person in years who reminds him of what it means to be human.

Available in eBook and paperback at Riptide and other retailers.

About Amelia: 
Amelia C. Gormley may seem like anyone else. But the truth is she sings in the shower, dances doing laundry, and writes blisteringly hot m/m erotic romance while her son is at school. When she’s not writing in her Pacific Northwest home, Amelia single-handedly juggles her husband, her son, their home, and the obstacles of life by turning into an everyday superhero. And that, she supposes, is just like anyone else

Her self-published novel-in-three-parts, Impulse (Inertia, Book One; Acceleration, Book Two; and Velocity, Book Three) can be found at most major online book retailers, and be sure to check Riptide for her latest releases, including her Highland historical, The Laird’s Forbidden Lover, the The Professor’s Rule series of erotic novelettes (co-written with Heidi Belleau), and Strain. Stay tuned for her upcoming Riptide releases, which include the final two books in The Professor’s Rule (coming the first week of March) and Saugatuck Summer, coming in May.

You can contact Amelia on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookLikes, Tumblr, or contact her by email using the form on the About page at http://ameliacgormley.com/

Monday, February 17, 2014

Review: Better than Chance by Lane Hayes

Better than Chance (Better Than #2) by Lane Hayes
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 200pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Jay Reynolds has a crush on his project leader at work, but an office romance with Peter Morgan isn't likely to happen since Peter is straight. Worse, Jay soon fears Peter is homophobic, and his initial infatuation turns to loathing. But one fateful night, Jay is forced to acknowledge things aren't quite as they seem with Peter. Suddenly, his crush is back and unbelievably, Peter is interested too. 

They begin a friends with benefits arrangement, which becomes difficult for Jay when he starts falling for his sexy boss. Peter’s past issues keep him from committing, and Jay has to decide if he can be satisfied with friendship if Peter isn’t ready to take a chance on anything more.


Review
I was all types of excited to read this story, first being introduced to Jay and Peter in Better than Good. I really liked them for their brief but important role in the story so I was excited to read their love story, until Jay turned out to be a character I really didn't like (yeh fa realz).

Jay Reynolds has got a crush and its serious. He is so in love with his all male team leader Peter Morgan and he's just happy to have some eye candy. Suddenly, Mr. Morgan isn't looking as sexy as before when Jay suspects that he might be homophobic and he keeps hating on his work. Jay sort of gets a change of heart when Peter acts as a Good Samaritan and help Jay and his friend Aaron out when Aaron gets drugged from a douchebag. While he's not 100% convinced that Peter isn't still an asshole he's grateful for the help. Perhaps, he misjudged the man and its not exactly a hardship trying to find out.

The men begin a "friends with benefits" type of relationship and its glorious. With the ground rules set there is no way this thing can fail and the chances are low for either of them getting hurt that is until feelings start creeping in. From the get go Peter has declared himself a no commitment type of guy and he's got the past to prove it. Jay might be in over his head and he's got to decide if losing Peter was worth all of it.

First, Jay irked me! Like talk about shallow and dreaded all of his thoughts. I dislike characters that do the whole name brand dropping, dwelling on good looks, and things are just perfect in their perfect little world. Like that’s not always a bad thing but I feel like Jay had no story to tell and it was way less interesting that Peter's story. Now Peter, most definitely had something to say and I am disappointed that I didn't get his POV, just anything he was feeling would have been a great change. Eventually I was fed up with Jay's descriptions of his beautiful friends, this idol like worship he used to describe Peter and his pretty pretty everything.

Overall, it was a cute story and it was nice to read about how Jay and Peter came to be. A little disappointed in the set-up but I didn't dislike all of it and I did finish it, Better Than Chance wasn't a complete bust. I would read Lane Hayes again.

3 Pants Off

DarienMoya

Interview & Giveaway with Vicktor Alexander

~ I have Vicktor Alexander on the blog today and he's answering all the questions and bringing a good time. He even brought us a giveaway, so be sure to enter. Lets give out a warm welcome.~

Tell us a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing?
Hello everyone! I’m Vicktor Alexander. I’m a Southern gentleman (okay, okay, yes, I’m kind of a cowboy, but without the whole riding horses every day, working on a ranch thing. But I have the Stetson and the clothes and the whip –clears throat- but that’s for something else entirely), out and proud, living in Florida. I’m a Messianic Jew. I love to read, write, cook, paint, sketch, watch Criminal Minds, Torchwood, Spartacus, Happy Endings and Scandal –like obsessively- I love sports (Go Red Sox! Go Patriots! Go Celtics!) I am hopelessly in lust with John Barrowman and Shemar Moore (who I am waiting to realize that he’s gay or bisexual and destined to be with me). I come from a large family. I want to change the world. I have a 19 year old adopted daughter, whom I call Princess Chipmunk, who is preparing for her freshman year of college (-sobs- My baby!). I love to laugh and make people laugh. I have plans to start three different non-profits. And did I mention that I want to change the world?

Oh yeah, I’m single too. Although I do write letters weekly or bi-weekly to my future husband that I post online.

I’ve been writing since I was 10. My first story was about my baby sister Lisa and the way she destroyed the world with her breath. It was an oral story that I wrote on the spot as we were coming back from a family reunion. My family liked the story so much I came up with another story, it was about my brother Steve and how he destroyed the world with his body odor (I was a mean older brother wasn’t I?) and the third story was about my other sister Tina and how she destroyed the world with her feet odor. When I finished that story we still had a few hours to go until we would get home and my family was clamoring for more so I came up with another story, “The Tale of the Doll’s Eyes.” It was a story about a little girl’s baby doll whose eyes were put under a voodoo curse and at night the eyes would leave the body of the doll and go around killing anyone that was mean to the little girl. When we pulled up to our house no one left the car until I’d finished the story. That was when I realized that I might just have a gift for writing. I went inside and tried to replicate what I’d come up with in the car (couldn’t do it). I promptly gave up on it and instead wrote “Summer Oaks” about a little girl who meets a talking squirrel. My first paranormal.

Was gay fiction something you always wanted to write? Or did you develop it as an interest over time?
Oh no. I was a good little Messianic Jew for a very long time. It was all heterosexual romances when I did read any, and when I did write books it was a lot of poetry, general fiction, children’s books, and interracial, heterosexual romances. Then when I got into high school I met my first “gays”. My best friends Angel and Justin and I attempted my first gay porn story about them (because there was NO romance in it. I believe the first line of the story was “I want your big ass dick in my ass”). They laughed at me and told me a lot of what I’d written was impossible or would cause serious damage and I stopped writing it for a long time. Then I started reading gay fiction (enter Mary Calmes’s “Change of Heart” book which introduced me to the M/M romance genre) and my sister told me about “slash” fanfiction on fanfiction.net a site that I was already obsessed with because of all of the Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Friends stories on there (and I was writing some fanfic as well “Agent Kara Morgan”). I found slash stories on there (the Criminal Minds Hotch/Morgan ones are HOT and so are the Hotch/Reid ones-those are my FAVE) and I wrote my first “slash” story on there around the same time I started writing a blog story entitled, Unthinkable. I got feedback on “A Child of Their Own” from people who read slash and who read M/M and it helped with Unthinkable. Before I knew
it Unthinkable was done and I was writing the sequel, Inconceivable and next thing you knew both stories were edited, published by Rooster & Pig Publishing and… well, here I am!

You have a few releases that are upcoming. Can you talk a bit about them, and you future plans in writing?
Absolutely! My newest release actually released today (February 17th, 2014): The Beginning which is the first book in the Sons of Adam series from Rooster & Pig Publishing. It’s about Ronny Parker, a black, gay, human male from Harlem, NY, who works as a barista at Starbucks who comes upon a fight between two shifters, a lion shifter and a wolf shifter one of whom, Cole Tronk, a white, gay man, the lion shifter, tells Ronny that they are mates… right before he gives Ronny the mating bite. At this time the paranormal world is hidden from humans and paranormal law prevents mating with humans and homosexual pairings as well, so Cole has essentially broken two laws by mating Ronny. He doesn’t care, however, but when he exposes the truth of the paranormal world to humans, thus breaking another law (a pretty big one too), he doesn’t just put his life and the life of his mate in danger, but the life of every single paranormal alive. The Beginning is an interracial, contemporary, paranormal, gay romance and it was so much fun to write it, especially because of the fact that the reader finds out that Adam was not the only one created on the sixth day. He had six other brothers created at the same time and there’s an entire Bible, The Real Holy Bible, that proves it, and Ronny has been chosen to be one of the people to help change the world. –happy clapping-

My next release is Dakota which is the first book in The Sevion Brotherhood series from MLR Press. It has a tentative release date of May 2nd and it’s about Dr. Dakota Sevion, a vampire, who meets his mate, single father, Nishon “Nimo” Moore, at the Gelreen Memorial Hospital where he works when Nimo’s son, Isaiah, has an accident at his daycare and has to be rushed to the hospital. In this world vampires only have two weeks to consummate and complete the “blood-bond” with their mates or they will die from starvation (they go mad from it and eventually die), so Dakota is on a bit of a timeline. However, Nimo’s son is a forziq, a human with three special gifts, one of which is the ability to see the true form of vampires, and according to vampire law, Isaiah is to be put to death immediately. There’s also the added problem of Nimo’s negative reaction to finding out about Dakota being a vampire. He runs and Dakota’s thirst sets in. And while these two men are dealing with these issues there’s someone out to kill them all. Dakota is an interracial (I love my interracial couples!), contemporary, paranormal, gay romance set in Mississippi so you can imagine what kind of fun I had with this book.

Can you tell us how you get inspired to write most of your stories, and the process that goes into writing the story?
A lot of times it’s a matter of “What if?” Either I’m watching a movie, listening to a song, having a conversation, or even reading a book and my mind goes into a whole “what if?” scenario. “What if the police officer that arrested the man in the park for urinating found out that the man was homeless and he came back later on to check on him? What if he decided to get the guy some help and they ended up falling in love?” Or like what actually happened with The Beginning “What if paranormals actually exist? What if when YHVH (the Jewish word for G-d) created Adam, he created paranormals and elves and witches as well and they all ate of the Tree of Knowledge and the curse made it so that now paranormals have to hide their true identity from humanity? And what if paranormal men can actually get their male mates pregnant and paranormal females can actually get their female mates
pregnant? What would happen if the truth came out because a shifter and a human mated and revealed the existence of all paranormals to the world?” And thus the Sons of Adam series was born.

My process starts with the main idea first. I quickly write down whatever the idea is that sparked the book or series. Sometimes it’s a title, sometimes it’s a series title, sometimes it’s a blurb. It varies. Once I write down whatever sparked the idea depending on what I’m doing I get back to it. If I’m not doing anything then I fill out the Character Information Sheet that details what each character looks like, their quirks, habits, where they went to college, their family, where they work, favorite music, favorite color, etc. because I never know what may come up during the course of the book. After that I do world building. Even if it’s a contemporary romance, I still do world building. Raising Shawna was a contemporary romance with just a little bit of the supernatural thrown in there, so you wouldn’t think that I would need that much world building. You would be wrong. I researched and did world building based on the state of Florida. Laws, Government, Economics, Education, Crime, History, Marriage Laws, Views on Homosexuality, Religion, Views on Race, etc. It’s something I do for every series and every book that I write. Sometimes it’s my favorite part of the whole process. Once I finish world building then I work on the title. Sometimes it’s just a “Working Title” in which case it’s something funny, my freebie “An Angelic Meeting” started off as “Angels are Hot & Chunky Guys are Too”. That changes once I get a title that I like. If I don’t get a title that I like by the time I save the document for the day it’s saved as is and that’s how I sometimes end up with books that wind up being titled their working titles, like “Super Gay.” After I get a title, if it’s a standalone I start writing the first chapter (or prologue). If it’s part of a series, then I figure out how many books are in the series and I title them as well. If there’s an overall arc I figure out what that is and I get it down on the same document with all of the series titles. After I write the first two or three chapters I usually have a good idea of the direction the book is going in and I make an outline of the entire book, chapter by chapter, figure out how long the book is going to be (estimate) then I get back to writing, whereupon my characters promptly laugh at my outline and do whatever the hell they want.

What is your stance on interracial romance in the M/M genre?
I LOVE IT! I write it and there needs to be more of it. PLEASE!!! I know, just from talking to other authors that a lot of them are afraid of tackling different cultures and ethnicities for fear of getting it wrong and offending or insulting someone (I’ve heard this a LOT when it comes to writing black, gay men) but one of the things I point out a lot is that we’re not really THAT different. While they would have to take into account racism from a different POV (as the one being profiled instead of the one doing the profiling), and they would have to realize that upbringings and familial structures might be different, the same is true for all ethnicities. As I told one author “I’m actually more offended that you think my family and I sit around listening to hip-hop, eating fried chicken and collard greens, living in the projects on welfare, speaking Ebonics and moaning about racism than if you’d have written a character based upon your actual interactions with me. I come from a two-parent household. My family is middle-class though we weren’t always that way, I’ve never lived in the “projects.” I don’t listen to hip-hop. I don’t like greens. I rarely eat fried chicken. I had a college-level vocabulary when I was in middle school and while I have to deal with racism on a daily basis and it sucks ass it’s not something my family and I sit around talking about every day. It’s a truth, a sad, unfortunate reality that we fight against through protests, petitions, the law and education, but one we have grown used to. Thinking that I am so vastly different from you that you are incapable of writing a character like me is probably the most insulting thing you could say to me.”

I’m not saying everyone has to write interracial romance. Dear gods, don’t write anything your muse and your characters aren’t telling you to write, but don’t say that you “can’t” because you haven’t done the research and it’s so complicated. That’s a cop-out. One of the greatest interracial romances I have EVER read in this genre was written by Amy Lane, entitled Bolt-Hole. It was raw, gritty, angsty, emotional, hopeful and so fucking real that I saw myself splashed across the pages of that book.

We need more interracial romances because when I was growing up I was told that being gay was “a white man” thing and that “black men, and Jewish aren’t gay.” While we’re seeing this lie slowly being disproved almost daily in the news as more and more minority men are coming out (Frank Ocean, Jason Collins, Michael Sam, Ricky Martin, etc.) I think that for those of us who have a platform we can make a difference and show men, and young boys that being gay is not something that is restricted to a certain ethnicity and that it’s okay for them to live their truth. I believe that we as writers can effect a lot of change and writing interracial romances as being okay will go a long way towards doing that.

What book/books are you currently reading, and is it causing a pants losing?
Right now I’m reading Stormy Glenn’s “Whatever He Desires” with “Prince Snow and His Snow King” by Scarlet Hyacinth up right after that and then “Their Fallen Angel” by Lynn Stark. And then I’m going back to reread the “Wylde Boys” series by Lynn Hagen. Cowboys…. Mmmmm. What I’m currently reading is most DEFINITELY causing a pants losing. At one point I was reading it while sitting outside and my body started to heat up, at which point I was glad I was outside because the cold wind cooled me down. I was also a little disappointed, because I was hard and outside and couldn’t do anything about it. LOL.

Who has it better Top or Bottom?
Fuck. The versatile has it better. Best of both fucking worlds. Because while there’s nothing like something tight and warm squeezing your shaft while you pump inside of a willing hole, harder and harder, pursuing that bliss that’s waiting for you just at the edge of the cliff. Nothing like feeling the slap of flesh against your groin. There’s also nothing like the feeling of a hard cock slamming inside of you. Hands holding onto your waist or your shoulders. The plunge deep in and out, hitting that pleasure spot deep inside of you making you cry out to the heavens. Making you clutch the sheets and claw at your partner’s back.

Both of those things are AMAZING. One isn’t better, they’re both equal so who has it better? Someone like me who does both. –nods-

Pants is it better to write with them on or off?
If I’m settling in for a long writing session in my room then I write in nothing but my boxer briefs. If I’m writing and I’m going to be around other people or moving around or in and out of my room then I wear a t-shirt and sweat pants. I would much rather write in nothing but my boxer briefs though. I can’t write naked because I’d be too distracted. I’d want to “meditate”, shower, fuck, or sleep because that’s what you do when you’re naked, right?

How do you feel about a 3-way romance in books? Believable or Not?
I LURVE ménages! They’re fucking hot as hell. I do think that some of the conflict and tension that can happen when you have three or more people in a relationship gets glossed over sometimes but it’s sooooooo hot. And hell yeah it’s believable. I know people who are a part of 3-way/poly relationships. They’re sexy as fuck.

Thank you Vic for being here today!! If fans want to keep in touch, how can they get in contact?

Thank you so much for having me! It was fun! Sorry for the long-windedness and ranting I did. Whew! –wipes brow-

If readers want to keep in touch with me here’s how to contact me in order of MOST LIKELY to LEAST LIKELY to respond quickly to:

http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/VicktorAlexander

http://www.facebook.com/VicktorAlexanderB

http://www.twitter.com/VVeeB

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVicktorAlexander

vicktoralexander@vicktoralexander.com

Blurb:
Ronny Parker has always been aware that there was more to life outside of his Harlem apartment. When he goes to work one morning at Starbucks, he finds himself coming face to face with a reality that he was not prepared for. He finds himself the eyewitness to a fight between two shifters, a wolf and a lion, one of which bites Ronny and calls him “mate.” When Ronny wakes up the next morning he finds himself thrust into a world neither his family, nor his teachers ever taught him about and he does the only thing he can do. He starts to investigate.

Cole Tronk has been taught from an early age that he is never to mate a human, never reveal his true nature to a human and that he cannot be gay. But when he gets into a fight with his oldest friend outside of a Starbucks and finds himself smelling the most intoxicating scent ever, he throws all of those rules out of the window. Before long, Cole and his mate, Ronny are on the run from the governing body of the paranormals, humans who have now discovered that paranormals, magicks and supernaturals exist, and someone from Ronny’s past who is determined to kill them both.

Along the way, Cole and Ronny meet up with a group of paranormals, magicks, and supernaturals who are also gay, and who are researching the true history of the world and creation. What they find will not only change their lives, but the entire world and the future. Will Ronny and Cole’s mating survive all of these obstacles and when a millennias old lie comes back to bite them in the ass, will Ronny and Cole be able to deal with the consequences?

Excerpt
Cole let out a bark of laughter before leaning forward to sniff at the column of Ronny’s neck. He let out a low growl before licking the skin there. Ronny shivered so hard he thought he would fly apart as the front of his pants grew wet with his pre-cum.

“Oh, fuck,” he whispered and clenched his fists against the wall.

Something inside of him wanted to reach out to Cole. He wanted to bring the other man against his body, preferably with both of them naked. He wanted to feel Cole thrusting inside of him. He ached deep inside for… something. He didn’t know what, but he knew that it was somehow the most important thing ever. He noticed that his breath and Cole’s seemed to be in sync and he watched, amazed that whenever he breathed out, Cole inhaled and vice versa. It was as if they were each other’s air.

Riiight, he mentally scoffed. I am not some fucking twink in a romance novel.

Giving himself a mental shake, Ronny raised his hands to push Cole away, who seemed to have gotten so much closer to him in the few seconds it took for Ronny to think. His hands landed on firm pecs and, though he’d told himself that he was pushing the other man away, he found himself squeezing the flesh instead, his palms grazed by the puckered nipples on Cole’s chest.

“Shit,” Cole growled.

It was Ronny’s only warning before sharp pain pierced the join of his neck and left shoulder as Cole, the lion man, buried his fangs into Ronny’s skin. Ronny let out a loud yell, that quickly turned into a moan as the pain became pleasure. Sweet, overwhelming, delicious pleasure. The kind that had him humping Cole’s thigh where it rested between his own legs. It was a pleasure so amazing that it took him a moment to realize that not only had he just cum in his work pants, effectively ruining them, but that he’d just let some fucking lion man bite him.

He told himself that he was going to push Cole away, but his hands seemed to not be listening to him and instead they rose to wrap around Cole’s neck as the other man groaned and drank Ronny’s blood. After a moment, when Ronny was starting to feel just slightly weak, Cole let go of his neck and licked the wounds. He kissed the skin there and began to purr. At first, it freaked Ronny out, but, after a moment, he found himself more turned on by the purring than he’d been by the bite to his neck.

The bite to his—hold the hell on!

Ronny shoved Cole away from him. Jabbing a finger into Cole’s chest, he glared and let out his own growl. “You fucking bit me, you psycho!”

Cole smirked. “You loved it,” he pointed out, crossing his massive arms across his broad chest.

Since it’s the 17th The Beginning is now available for order and download from Rooster & Pig Publishing: http://www.roosterandpigpublishing.com/new-releases

Giveaway (A backlist or new release digital copy book by Vicktor Alexander)

  • Must be 18yrs or older
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  • Contest ends Saturday February 22nd 11:59pm EST