Tuesday, December 20, 2016

eBook Review: Claimed Beauty - The Cubi Book 2

Today I'm happy to feature Meraki P. Lyhne's newest eBook, Claimed Beauty, Book 2 in The Cubi series.

Genre: Paranormal
Length:
Blurb: Daniel was an Untouchable destined to be trained as a companion to a high ranking Cubus. A red-eyed Incubus screwed all that up at a dinner party, and Daniel is now a confused Changeling with a libido far exceeding anything he could ever have dreamed off.

Seldon failed in keeping the Untouchable under his care safe, and he accidentally dosed the too young human. His worst fears came to pass when Daniel turned out to be a Changeling, and Seldon now has to face the Cubi justice for turning someone so young.

Luckily, Seldon has a powerful friend at his side—one who also has an eye for the young beauty.




My Review

Claimed Beauty follows immediately after the first book in the series, Untouchable Beauty. Both books showcase the incredibly ancient and rich world of the Cubi, succubi and incubi who depend on sexual energy for nourishment. The first book is a rather harsh look at how the Cubi manage to keep themselves fed, and it was almost uncomfortable to read which is mostly due to the difficulty the main character, Daniel, had adjusting to his new status.

With Claimed Beauty the world the Cubi is further shared because Daniel is no longer an Untouchable... exactly. With the tension of the ending of book one, I was in dread of what was going to happen to the other main character, Seldon. I can say I was extremely happy with how the storyline flows, though I won't say anymore about the plot for fear of ruining it for new readers.

The sex scenes were graphic, plentiful, and HOT. There's a fine line between an erotic romance and porn thinly veiled as plot, but Claimed Beauty stayed firmly on the right side to balance out the need for sex based on the Cubi's need for nourishment with the extra plot events. Another thing that amazes me is that the whole timeline is extremely short, even though the eBook is quite long. Yet it doesn't feel overly-detailed.

There's a twist in the story toward the end that I was pretty sure was coming, but I loved the characters' reactions to the surprise. It also sets up even more to learn about the Cubi culture and Daniel's new life if there's a book three. (I really hope there's a book 3!)

Claimed Beauty is a sexy, exciting story that kept me up too late, awake too early, and made me far too willing to ignore the rest of my daily life until I finished it. So go buy your copy today, but make sure you have plenty of free time to read it!

Buy it for yourself!
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Saturday, December 17, 2016

Featuring Pushing Back Oblivion with Dreamspinner's Anthology: Love Wins


http://www.prismbookalliance.com/

Today I have a guest post over at Prism Book Alliance. My post is a prequel scene to my short story, Pushing Back Oblivion, that's part of Dreamspinner Press's Love Wins anthology. All stories in this eBook were donated, and all proceeds will go to helping the survivors and families victimized by the attack at Pulse. Don't wait, pick up your copy now!!

Fighting a rapidly growing brain tumor, Cohen promises his partner, Jaime, that he’ll never give up. Through surgeries and setbacks, at times that promise and Jaime’s voice are all Cohen has to cling to.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Featured eBook: This Wish Tonight Anthology



Today I'm happy to feature my review and an exclusive excerpt for This Wish Tonight, a holiday anthology by J. Scott Coatsworth, Gregory L. Norris, and Wendy Rathbone.



This Wish Tonight


Publisher: Mischief Corner Books
Authors: Gregory L. Norris, J. Scott Coatsworth & Wendy Rathbone
Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay
Length: 40.8k, 228 pages
Format: eBook, Paperback
Release Date: 12/14/16
Pairing: MM
Price: 4.99, 10.99
Genres: mm romance, holiday, Christmas, gay science fiction, gay contemporary

Blurbs:
Warmth, family, good cheer? Not everyone associates these things with the winter holidays. For some, it’s a time of longing and reflection. Mischief Corner Books invites authors to create stories set during the holiday season and centered on the fulfillment of a wish or desire.

Fear of Fire by Gregory L. Norris
Glass Artist Lucius Price works desperately to create a holiday symbol intended to help the town of Villatopia heal from a rash of unsolved hate crimes against gay men. When he is targeted next and his studio set ablaze, handsome firefighter Oscar Ramos rescues Lucius from the flames, creating a different kind of fire during an unforgettable Christmas.

Wonderland by J. Scott Coatsworth
Zeke is a loner his late forties, living in a small cabin in rural Montana. Nathan has been traveling across country on foot since the zombie apocalypse, dealing with his OCD in an empty world.  Zeke just wants someone to love. Nathan just wants to be home again.

Fate brings them together in a winter wonderland, but their own fears and baggage may tear them apart.

Is there still hope for love at Christmas, at the end of the world?

Eve of the Great Frost by Wendy Rathbone
Remi has prepared for over a year to be the king’s gift at the annual celebration of the Eve of the Great Frost on the planet Niobe. Twelve men, taught under the tutelage of the Pleasure Master, hope to be the one (or one of several) chosen to spend an erotic night with the mysterious alien king who always wears a mask. But when Remi’s turn comes to be presented to His Majesty, everything goes wrong from a costume malfunction to breaking protocol. What happens next is a shock, and a night he will never forget

My Review:
Wonderland: Okay, so you have me with post-apocalyptic! That's all I needed to know to rub my hands together and settle in to read this story with relish. It made me laugh when it was a winter storm trapping the main characters, because I was trapped at home by an ice storm. The best part of this story is that there was realism from the lack of food, to the personal grooming, to the struggle to keep some semblance of normalcy by both Nathan and Zeke. But then there's a wrench thrown into the works... Andy. Who is he? What role does he play? I won't give that away, but I found that a very interesting twist in the story, and I really hope that we learn more about Zeke and Nathan down the road. This story didn't have a strong Christmas theme, but I liked the sweetness it did bring into their lives at the end.

Eye of the Great Frost: This story was a mix of fantasy and science fiction. The vast majority of the story feels like you're in the distant past, but it's actually a world with a people who hadn't quite progressed as far as they should. The symbolism of their mystical culture, especially during the presentation on their holy day, is vivid and fully-realized even with how short the story was. I found the science fiction aspect to be far more vague beyond explaining some of the backstory of Shin, the king, and giving us an idea of where Shin and Remi end their story after 'The End', and most of that came from Remi's voice as the 'narrator' of the story. With length constraints, that was a good vehicle to share information with readers when it couldn't be shown.

Fear of Fire: This story had a strong and beautiful Christmas theme. I also really enjoyed the technical aspects when we see the main character, Lucius, working the glass. I could tell the author either had firsthand experience or did the research to bring that part of the story to life. I also loved the visual of the Tree of Tolerance and the idea of the interlocking glass pieces topped off with a beautiful star. The overall plot and the characterizations were done well, and I liked there was an external conflict. What I didn't like was the constant use of epithets. "The artist" and "the fireman", or variations of those, were used so many times it got tedious. People just don't think of themselves and others by descriptions all the time, nor do they tend to be so... lyrical during sex. Probably the biggest push out of the story was the lack of medical realism during the two scenes where injuries were possible. I don't want to give everything away by being more explicit, but I really wish that aspect had been more believable.  



Exclusive Excerpt from Wonderland:
Knock, knock, knock.
Zeke looked up, perplexed. He hadn't heard a knock on his door in years, even before the plague—part of that whole loner thing, he was sure. It was probably just one of the trees banging its branches against the cabin.
After a moment, he went back to the book. Now, where was I?
Knock, knock.
It had been very distinct that time. He set the book and his wine glass down and sprang toward the front door. He pulled the door open, certain there would be no one there.
There was a low moan, barely audible above the wind.
He looked down, and it took a moment for his brain to sort out what he saw there.
"Jesus Christ!" It was the prostrate form of a man—or a woman? It was impossible to tell. They lay facedown in the snow.
He knelt and put his finger on the person's neck. It was still warm, and there was a pulse.
"Come on," he said, though whoever it was seemed unconscious and unlikely to hear him. "Let's get you inside." He hooked his arms under the person's armpits and pulled them into the living room, then closed the door to block out the cold. How do you treat frostbite again? "Blankets. I need blankets." Zeke pulled off the stranger's backpack and set it aside. He turned the body over carefully. It was a man, and a good-looking one at that, from what he could see under the snow and grit.
He lay the stranger gently on the thick rug by the fireplace, went to grab a pile of blankets from his closet, and set a few by the open flames to warm up.
Then he set about stripping the man. He'd dreamed of such a moment for years but under much more romantic circumstances than this. Still, he was in good shape. Zeke's hand lingered on his flat stomach for just a moment.
The man's left pant leg was shredded. It looked like he had been bitten, maybe by a wild dog. He would need to cleanse the wounds. He poured some of the hot water from his fireplace kettle into a bowl to cool off.
Zeke pulled off the man's boots and socks. His feet were rank, but nothing like he would have expected. Hopefully frostbite hadn't set in yet. Where did you come from, my friend?

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAEIP8C (preorder until 12/14)
Apple: Coming Soon
Barnes & Noble: Coming Soon
iBooks: Coming Soon

Author Bios:

Gregory L. Norris

I am a full-time professional writer, with numerous publication credits to my resume, mostly in national magazines and fiction anthologies. A former writer at Sci Fi, the official magazine of the Sci Fi Channel (before all those ridiculous Ys invaded), I once worked as a screenwriter on two episodes of Paramount’s modern classic, Star Trek: Voyager and am the author of the handbook to all-things-Sunnydale, The Q Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Alyson Books, 2008).

In late 2009, two of my paranormal romance novels for Ravenous Romance (www.ravenousromance.com) were reprinted as special editions by Home Shopping Network as part of their “Escape with Romance” segment – the first time HSN has offered novels to their customers. In late 2011, my collection of brandy-new terrifying short and long fiction, The Fierce and Unforgiving Muse: A Baker’s Dozen From the Terrifying Mind of Gregory L. Norris is being published by Evil Jester Press. I have fiction forthcoming from the fine people at Cleis Press, STARbooks, EJP, The Library of Horror, Simon and Shuster, and Pill Hill Press, to name a few.



J. Scott Coatsworth

Scott has been writing since elementary school, when he and won a University of Arizona writing contest in 4th grade for his first sci fi story (with illustrations!). He finished his first novel in his mid twenties, but after seeing it rejected by ten publishers, he gave up on writing for a while.

Over the ensuing years, he came back to it periodically, but it never stuck. Then one day, he was complaining to Mark, his husband, early last year about how he had been derailed yet again by the death of a family member, and Mark said to him "the only one stopping you from writing is you."

Since then, Scott has gone back to writing in a big way. He has sold more than a dozen short stories - some new, some that he had started years before. He is currenty working on two sci fi trilogies, and also runs the Queer Sci Fi (http://www.queerscifi.com) site, a group for readers and writers of gay sci fi, fantasy, and paranormal fiction.





Wendy Rathbone

Wendy Rathbone has been writing for many years in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance and erotica. Her poetry and short stories have been widely published in magazines and anthologies, and won many awards. She is a Writers of the Future alum (second place, vol 8) and has two stories in the classic, still in print, Hot Blood series, as well as a story in the scifi volume of the classic gay anthology Bending the Landscape.

While she has always written GLBTQ characters in her fiction and fan fiction, in 2011 she began to delve deeply into the realm of male/male romance and erotica. She has many indie m/m romance novels, the most recent being “The Moonling Prince” and its sequel “The Coming of the Light”. This year she sold her newest novel “The Android and the Thief” to Dreamspinner Press for publication in April, 2017.

Wendy lives in Yucca Valley, CA with her partner of 36 years, Della Van Hise, and is currently hard at work on a new m/m romance novel.




Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Wednesday Briefs: Mine! Chapter 31


This week has a prompt inspiration! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter inspired by, "I didn't think about that, I'm sorry."


Chapter 31


“What do we know?” I asked.

Uncle Radford spoke up first. “The doctor was working on a drug to incite Kraig’s two souls, creating a feral stronger than any alpha. When you killed him, all he’d managed to do was bring one soul to the foreground.”

“So what? He was going to incite my animal souls and set me loose?” Kraig shook his head. “Even if I was stronger than Deke, I couldn’t beat the whole streak, and no one would accept me as their alpha.”

“No, but an army of werekin just like you could take out all resistance and let the people holding your leash take over.”

“But the doctor wasn’t working with the human werekin anymore,” Park said. “Right?”

Ritch leaned forward. “Maybe not the way they wanted, but if he could create an army for them? He could’ve garnered a lot of power, money, and property from the decimated groups.”

“That’s not an option, but I’m worried that we don’t know what these human werekin have been doing since the doctor left them. They killed Henry, but his soul still lives”—I winced when Lydia wrapped her arms around her chest—“so clearly they know how to strip souls from the bonded werekin’s spirit. They also have to know that we know at least part of what’s going on.”

“Christian will be here any minute. I want everyone to stay close while we investigate and then be back here first thing in the morning. Enough alphas were willing to attend a general counsel without a presentation of proof, but I want everything here, laid out and ready for them. Make sure you have extra copies,” I told Uncle Radford.

He pursed his lips but nodded grudgingly. “I’d like to get back to my classes as soon as possible. I have been away long enough.”

“I understand you have a life that you can’t just walk away from, but this is important. You can leave after the counsel if we don’t need your expertise.” I tried to keep my tone calm; the next day would be tough on all of us, but especially anyone the majority of alphas considered beneath them—basically anyone who wasn’t another alpha, but especially human werekin and women.

I stretched out my claws and then sheathed them until Kraig put his hand over mine. I let out a slow, deep breath. “Thank you. Dismissed.”

Lydia stayed behind when Uncle Radford, Ritch, and Park filed out of my office. “What are you going to do with Henry’s body?” she asked.

“I’m leaving that up to you,” I said. “He was your mate, and I wouldn’t presume to tell you what is best. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He was a traitor. He hurt our son. It tears my heart out.” She rubbed her chest. “I don’t want to honor him, but I don’t want him burned and his ashes scattered either.”

“We can do a quiet burial in a corner of the streak plot?” It was more than a traitor deserved, but I was more concerned with the peace of mind of the ones he left behind.

She thought for a minute and then nodded slowly. “Thank you, Alpha.”

I got up and went around my desk. I pulled her out of her chair and into my arms. So often she loomed larger than life; now she was a small, fragile figure even smaller than Kraig. “Why don’t you go rest?” The dark circles under her eyes pained me.

“Okay.” She didn’t even argue, just walked out with her shoulders slumped.

Kraig stood and nestled against me. I put my arm over his shoulders and held him close. “I hate this,” he said.

“Me too.”



The next day dawned without any of us getting much sleep. Christian had packed up everything he could find in the hotel, but it wasn’t much. There were no secrets to be found in Henry’s belongings or his body.

But we had the doctor’s computer files and the ones I’d found. We had Kraig, who was clearly a hybrid of more a tiger and cheetah soul. Ritch would testify to what he’d witnessed of the doctor’s actions as well as his cousin and his mate’s disappearance.

“Stay next to me within arm’s reach the whole time,” Park warned Ritch.

Ritch nodded. “I will.”

I didn’t have to tell Kraig the same. A general counsel was held under a promise of peace only, with any alpha violating the tradition with harsh penalties, but it was a risk. Ritch’s previous alpha was a vicious and unpredictable man.

Not too unlike a feral, though he held just enough control to stay in power.

The meeting hall off the right side of the house was warm and reeked of chemicals. Lydia had been out banishing dust since the early hours, but I didn’t want the alphas too comfortable.

“We’ll convince them,” I told Kraig. “They’ll listen to us.” I was reassuring myself as much as him.

If they didn’t listen….

Tires on the gravel of the driveway was the first sign the alphas were about to arrive. As my beta Park took his place on my right. Kraig began to move back with the others who were arranged behind us, but I grabbed his hand and hauled him back to my side. “Where are you going? You’re my mate. You stand on my left.”

“I didn’t think about that, I’m sorry. I was always in the back, before.”  

I squeezed his hand. “You’ll get used to it.”

Heavy footsteps came up the walk, and Christian opened the door just as they neared. The alphas filed in the room in order of power. This many in one room was electrifying, and I felt the tingles as my tiger soul began to pace in the back of my mind.

 TBC

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Wednesday Briefs: Mine! Chapter 30

Have you picked up your copy of Disastertastic yet? No...? Why not! This never been released before contemporary novella features Kable and Sawyer as Kable tries to teach Sawyer what the holidays are really about... but it doesn't go so smoothly. Of course, if your eBook budget can't stretch this month, I'm always happy to post another update to my Wednesday Brief story for readers to enjoy. Happy reading!!

Mine! Chapter 30


We slept hard, and my head was throbbing when I woke up. The emotional toll and the physical release on top of it left us unable to do more than stumble into bed. It was after noon when the buzzing of my phone woke me up. I had four messages, none of them were good, and the coffee was taking forever to brew.

“What are you doing?” Kraig asked.

I turned. “I thought you were still asleep.”

“The smell woke me up. Is there enough for me?” Kraig yawned.

“Of course.” I interrupted the brewing long enough to pour Kraig a cup. I could wait. “Are you hungry? I’ll make something.”

“Not really.”

“Something light.” I popped a few slices of bread in the toaster. Honestly, my stomach wasn’t up to a full breakfast either. “Jam or butter?”

“Butter.” Kraig sipped his coffee and sighed. “A lot’s going to happen today, isn’t it?”

I nodded once, resisting the urge to rub the back of my neck or my temples. “I have some calls to return, a few more to make, and Christian will be here soon.”

“What do you think they’ll say?” Kraig stirred his coffee, the spoon tinkling against the sides of the cup.

Maybe I didn’t have enough sleep, or maybe it was the headache, but I asked, “Who?”

“The other alphas? You asked Park to call a counsel, remember? To tell them you mated a human werekin, that some doctor was doing crazy experiments, and now you think the human werekin are trying to… I don’t know, become stronger than alphas? Take over?”

“We don’t know why the human werekin had the doctor experiment on you. And, in case you forgot, you’re not a human werekin anymore.”

“Nope,” he muttered. “Went from having no animal soul to being a freak with two.”

The plate dropped down on the table with a thump. I narrowed my eyes and growled. “I thought I told you not to talk about yourself that way.” I sat down beside him and consciously tried to calm down. “I don’t care if you’re human werekin, bonded werekin, or a pink elephant with blue stripes. You’re my mate. I’ve wanted you forever, and you’re mine now, so that means I could give a fuck what anyone else thinks. Our bond is not up for debate.”

Kraig took the hand I offered him across the table and squeezed it. He looked up briefly. “Yeah, okay.” Not exactly the most convincing agreement, but it would work for now. He let go and pulled the plate closer. “Thanks for the toast.”

“No problem.” Mine popped up so I went to get it from the toaster. The coffee pot was finally full so I poured a cup into the biggest mug I could find and sat down at the table again.

“So who called?” Kraig asked between bites.

“Park to let me know he made the counsel request. Christian checking in at nine to say he’d be here by four, at the latest, and two alphas.”

Kraig pulled the crust off one side of his toast. “And?”

“Durant, Alpha of the Eagles will come. Ritch’s former alpha is coming too.” And that was why I had to make another call to Park. I hope he’d gotten some rest.

“Is that wise? He could challenge you.”

I snorted. “He could try.” A fully-mature Tiger alpha, strong with a full clan believing in me? I’d have the edge. “He might have information we need. From what Ritch said, he’d have nothing to do with a plot to elevate human werekin, but it’s better to keep him close.”

“I’m going to go get dressed,” Kraig said. “You could join me.”

That sounded wonderful, and I was very tempted, but our little interlude shutting out the world last night and this morning would have to hold me over. “I really need to call Park,” I said.

Kraig sighed but nodded.

When he was safely out of distance in my suite, I picked up my phone and pressed on the picture of Park flipping me off. Three rings went by before he picked it up. “What, Deke?” he growled.

Another Alpha might punish him for using that tone, but this was Park. He’d just been reunited with his brother, found out his father was a traitor and then dead, and he was playing host to an abused human werekin. He deserved a little leeway. “I only got two calls back from other alphas today.”

“That’s because five of them confirmed they’d already heard rumors and would be arrive for tomorrow’s counsel. Two refused outright, and another four are considering it.”

“Okay. Christian will be back today around four. I need to call my uncle and then we’ll all meet here afterward to lay out everything we know, all the evidence, anything that might make these archaic assholes listen to us. If I can convince enough of them, we can go beyond a regional counsel and call for one country-wide.”

“Good. I want a pound of flesh off whoever started all this shit.”

“Agreed.” I’d have no qualms about taking out anyone who was part of hurting my streak. “Bring Ritch with you.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Park said.

“Obviously, or I wouldn’t have told you to do it. He spent more time with the doctor than anyone but Kraig, and he’s lived in two different groups as a human werekin. His insight could be invaluable.”

Park sighed. “Fine. We’ll be there between three and three-thirty. Make sure there’s food.”

“Your mom is my next call. She deserves to be here too. I’m sure she’ll handle that.” Who knew if we’d have the stomach to eat after going over everything? “Your dad’s body—”

“Burn it and scatter it to the winds,” Park growled. “His soul is in another body anyway.”

I winced. “I understand, but I think that’s your mom’s call.” I wasn’t going to take any decisions away from her.
TBC

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