Tag: shapeshifters

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press, August 2012

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

I know, I know, it’s October, and Ebook Review Central is still talking about summer books. In this particular case, it’s the August 2012 books from Carina Press.

But hey, if the “Boys of Summer,” in other words, Major League Baseball, can play LONG into the NFL Football season, why can’t we keep talking about the summer books as long as we want–as long as they’re the good ones?

Based on the reviews, August was a pretty good month at Carina. At least the reviews were pretty tightly packed. Lots of titles in the 10+ review group, and then another bunch clumped at between 5 and 7 reviews. That 10+ gang made it difficult to pick the featured titles for the week, they were all excellent choices.

After reading over some of the terrific reviews for the books in that 10+ category, the three standouts, well, stood out after all.

First at bat this week is also the first book in L.B. Gregg’s Men of Smithfield series. When she originally released this contemporary male/male romance in 2009, the title of the book was Gobsmacked, and readers were absolutely gobsmacked from the opening scene of the story. Mark walks into church and whacks his boyfriend upside the head with a Bible for cheating on him and wiping out their joint checking account. Then he gets pulled over for speeding by the state trooper he’s always had a crush on. Carina Press has re-released Gobsmacked as Mark and Tony (the bible smacker and the state trooper) revised and with  new material added. Readers who read both versions say it’s even better the second time around.

Second in this week’s lineup is The Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline M. Battisti. This urban fantasy/paranormal romance is one of the few times where the shapeshifter main character does not shift into a big powerful predator–Trinity becomes a house-cat. A feline who is also a witch, which makes her something very different indeed. Trinity’s little corner of the paranormal is about to be visited by something very evil, and only her peculiar mix of abilities that have never quite worked makes her suitable to inherit the responsibility of being the Guardian, and the power that goes with it. This one is terrific if you enjoy your urban fantasy with a touch of the snarktastic.

Rounding out this week’s roster we have title number three, a contemporary romance between a hopeless romantic and the anti-Cupid. The book I’m referring to is Planning for Love by Christi Barth, and it’s the first book in her Aisle Bound Trilogy. This trilogy is all about wedding planning, and in the first book, wedding planner Ivy falls in love with Ben, a guy who is allergic to love. This looks like comedy romance of the finest kind.

 

That’s it for this edition of Ebook Review Central. We’ll be back next time with the August 2012 titles from Dreamspinner Press.

Ebook Review Central, Samhain Publishing, June 2012

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

The wheel has turned back around to Samhain Publishing. This issue of Ebook Review Central features Samhain’s June 2012 titles.

When I collect the reviews for this feature, I always wish I could see the sales figures for the Retro titles. It seems as if by their nature they would be a contradiction in terms; any reader longing for the type of romance represented by the “retro” label would be the ones least likely to be an ebook reader. And I may be absolutely wrong.  But the lack of new reviews always makes me wonder.

Most of Samhain’s list did not suffer from a lack of new reviews. So much so that I was spoiled for choices of which titles to feature in this week’s list. In the end, there were three books “out standing in their field”. At least, this particular field!

The author of the first featured title has been featured on Ebook Review Central before. All the way back in December, Lorelei James’ Cowboy Casanova made the list. Her Rough Riders series is a guilty pleasure for a lot of readers, featuring hot cowboys, rough sex and happy endings along with a dose of small-town western ranching life. Her latest entry in the series, Kissin’ Tell, reads like a country and western song, with a woman coming home to face a high school reunion (and her cheating ex) only to find true love with a sexy cowboy and get the last laugh on the man who done her wrong. Even better, she gets that laugh with the one she let get away back in high school.

 

Howling in the number two position is Wolf Line, the fifth book in Vivian Arend’s Granite Lake Wolves series. Of course they’re werewolves, but who could imagine werewolves on a cruise ship? Even better, an all-shifter cruise!  The cruise director and the stowaway would normally make for a fun romance, but when you add in wolfish mating urges, it makes the whole thing even hotter. But before they can act on what their chemistry is telling them, Keri the cruise director has to solve the problem of some thefts on board her cruise ship, and unfortunately her stowaway mate is the most likely suspect. The whole Granite Lake Wolves series is just plain fun, so much so that reviewers say you don’t have to read them all, but you’ll want to!

Devil’s Gate by Thea Harrison is this week’s third featured title. This novella is part of her Elder Races paranormal romance/urban fantasy series, following after the novella Natural Evil. Both Natural Evil and Devil’s Gate are between the full-length paperback Oracle’s Moon and the upcoming Lord’s Fall. Harrison’s Elder Races series is about a very powerful, and very ancient, species of shapeshifters known as the Wyr, which began in May 2011 with Dragon Bound. The Wyr are ancient, which means their politics are convoluted as hell. Some of them seem to shapeshift into dragon-form, which means they hoard. To add to the politics, this world has vampires. Did I mention politics? This series has absolute legions of fans, but start from the beginning.

You wouldn’t think that modern cowboys would have much in common with werewolves or ancient dragons, but these three book do share one thing; they are all the latest entries in continuing, and very popular, series. The anticipation added up to increased attention, and more reviews.

Probably more sales, too.

But that’s it for Samhain for June. Ebook Review Central shifts its attention to a new target next week, the monthly six-in-one post. Does that make it a hex-a-post? A multi-post?

I have a question for you readers out there. What do you think about “retro” romances?

Guest Post: Kay Dee Royal on her new series

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> Guest Posts

Today I’d like to welcome Kay Dee Royal to Reading Reality.  author of Staring Into the Eyes of Chance (reviewed here), Kay Dee is here as part of a Bewitching Book Tour to talk about her new book and series.

Hello Marlene, thank you for having me today. 🙂

I’m Kay Dee Royal, a paranormal erotica romance author. My first book in the LIIA series (Lycan International Investigation Agency), Staring Into the Eyes of Chance, introduces Chance, an Alpha Lycan, three hundred years old, and Olivia, a fifty-five year old widow.

I enjoyed writing both of their stories and completely resonated as the two of their lives began to entwine.

Olivia walked away with my emotions.

This woman was marked as different from an early age because of her ability to “read” wildlife/animals. As a child, she thought everyone could do this, until bullies knocked the wind out of her preteen years, shoving it in her face that she was a weirdo. From that time on, only a select few knew of her gift with reading an animal’s mood.

She opened a wildlife rescue and preserve on two-thousand acres.

The other thing about Olivia was her incessant loyalty to her husband of thirty-four years, even though he never showed her passion, nor did they ever have children. He traveled more than he lived with her, and at his funeral she discovered he’d been a philanderer their entire marriage. Her trust and faith in any man ended, broken.

Chance totally stole my heart.

His story begins with the death of his mother during his birth. It merited his older brother’s hatred and his father living as a shell of a man from the loss of his mate. Both his father and brother died in accidents, shortly before Chance was to take the Alpha position in the pack.

His father’s dwindling life (before the accident) tore Chance in two. When both his only living family died, he jumped into his Alpha and LIIA position full force, not caring to find a mate and go through the loss of another loved one.

OH, also, Chance has a special ability…besides the capabilities of Lycan, he has premonition visions.

What brings these two together when they are so unlikely to find each other? Good question.

A killing machine of a rogue Lycan named, Smoke. He leaves a trail of death and destruction where ever he goes, and Chance tracks him onto Olivia’s wildlife sanctuary…but Olivia won’t have anyone trekking around her property.

There’s a number of reasons why, all of which are within the pages of Staring Into the Eyes of Chance. 🙂

Here’s a bit about it:

A LIIA (Lycan International Investigation Agency) Book (Series ~ Book One)

Genre:

Paranormal Erotica Romance ~ Must be 18 or older, Explicit Love Scenes Rated Sizzling Hot

Tagline:

Olivia swears off men until she meets Chance, a Lycan alpha. He ignites an undeniable hunger they can only sate together.

Blurb:

Olivia endures a thirty-four year passionless marriage, discovering her dead husband’s philandering history at his funeral. She devotes her energy and life-long sensitivity with animals to her wildlife refuge and preserve.

Chance, a Lycan alpha and leader of the Lycan International Investigation Agency (LIIA) throws himself into his investigations. He chooses to neglect his duty of finding a primal-mate after watching his father become an empty shell over the loss of his.

A murderous rogue pack draws Chance onto Olivia’s wildlife preserve, sending Olivia’s animal sensitivities into overdrive. Chance and Olivia discover a sizzling force driving them together.

Will they succumb to its enticing tether, or fight to resume their loveless lives apart?

Buy Links:

Muse It Up Publishing  Amazon
Staring Into the Eyes of Chance Coffee Time Romance Buy Link
All Romance ebooks

About Kay Dee Royal:

Kay Dee Royal writes paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary erotic romance—maybe because it’s also her favorite genres to read! She pens tales with wild, rugged heroes and confident, intelligent heroines. She’ll give them both a few shadowy secrets, making her stories intriguing and fun. Blogging and promoting other authors feeds her passion and muse.

She resides in Southern Michigan with her family (her dogs, her cats, her caged husband… you get the idea)

You can reach her at:

Kay Dee Royal ~ Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings;
Ravencraft’s Romance Realm;  MuseItHot; Twitter; FB

 

Staring Into the Eyes of Chance

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Staring Into the Eyes of Chance by Kay Dee Royal is the first book in her Lycan International Investigation Agency series. And it is definitely a series that I will want to investigate further!

The story begins on Olivia’s wildlife sanctuary in the U.P. (that’s the upper peninsula of Michigan) when the perimeter alarms go off one night. To Olivia, that means some predator is after the animals she is protecting until they can be released back into the wild.

Olivia has a “sixth sense” when it comes to animals, she can sense what they’re feeling. It’s beyond empathy, she truly connects with them, to the point that her sensitivity is considered a psychic ability.

So when she looks out her window and stares straight into the eyes of a huge black-and-silver wolf, and knows for certain that this predator is out there protecting her homestead from something else, she believes that instinct unquestioningly, even though she questions most of the other sensations she gets from the big beast. Because animals do NOT project those sorts of feelings towards humans. Not ever.

But her wolf isn’t just a wolf. The big male is a Lycan, a shapeshifter. Chance and his team of international investigators have chased a crazed Lycan named Smoke all the way from Europe to Olivia’s door. Where Chance has discovered after 300 plus years that the human woman is his primal-mate. A distraction that he absolutely did not need in the middle of the most critical hunt he has ever faced.

Especially since protecting his mate, the Alpha’s mate, distracts his entire team. Because Lycans, like wolves, mate for life — and follow their mates into death.

But that Smoke, they keep finding him, and he keeps eluding them. Almost as if he has a spy in their midst. Or a way of tracking their communications. Or a little bit of both.

Who is Smoke? Or who was Smoke?

Escape Rating B: This story had a lot of fun in it, but at the same time, there are some parts toward the end that are not for the faint of heart. Smoke is truly messed up, and bad stuff happens. I want to read his story, so I’m hoping that we’ll learn more about him in book 2.

Olivia and Chase are perfect for each other. They’ve both graduated from the School of Hard Knocks, and are not looking for a relationship. So when a relationship pretty much slams into them, they’re both surprised, and not necessarily open to the idea.

I want to know more about Olivia’s gift. She’s clearly had some training, but where? how? who? Is it accepted? Inquiring minds are very curious.

The Lycan International Investigations Agency has some neat background, too. They are super-secret and have some friends in very high places. I hope we learn more in later books.

For anyone who enjoys Kate Douglas’ Wolf Tales, I would definitely recommend Staring Into the Eyes of Chance. The Lycans remind me of the Chanku, just with more detectives.