Sunday 8 November 2020

New Release. Sweet Child of Mine by V J Allison

 

Hi everyone! V.J. Allison here! I’m so excited to be sharing the cover for my upcoming Stocking Stuffer, Sweet Child of Mine. The stars of my debut novel Stricken are back, and they’re about to meet someone special!

 

Ewan and Marti are hoping to have a quiet Christmas. Unfortunately, the universe has other plans

 

Sweet Child of Mine

A Feathered Tartan Short Story

By V.J. Allison

 




Cover Artist: Angela Waters.

 

In the city on the harbour, miracles happen.

 

It’s Christmas Eve.

Ewan and Marti Campbell are hoping to have a quiet holiday season, their first as a married couple, and the last one before their new baby arrives.

A crisis at the real estate agency tosses a huge wrench into their plans, as does the sudden onset of Marti’s labour. As Ewan fights to get home before his child appears, more crises are flung at him. If he is to make it on time to help his wife bring their baby into the world, he’ll need a miracle…

A big one.

 

Isn’t it gorgeous?  I am so in love with it! Angie did a wonderful job with the Stocking Stuffer covers this year. I am so pleased and lucky to be a part of that collection. I’m hoping to do another one in the future, maybe next year IF I am not up to the eyeballs in finishing the rest of the Feathered Tartan Series or the Tri-Town one. (Knowing my wonky luck, I won’t have the time!)

 

I hope you love the cover as much as I do. It hit the inbox at a time when I needed a smile instead of a head desk

 

Thanks for having me. Have a sneak peek on me!


 

Excerpt:

 

Chapter One

 

Hutchinson-Campbell Real Estate, Halifax, Nova Scotia

December 24th

 

Ewan Campbell shoved his frameless glasses higher on his nose with his left hand and clicked on the file on his work computer with the mouse under his right hand. The gold of his identification bracelet, a gift from his parents upon his high school graduation, quietly gleamed in the overhead lights, and its links gently clattered as he shifted his hands to the keyboard in front of him.

His dark brown eyes narrowed in concentration as he studied the file contents. Their entire fiscal year was there, minus the last month. How did the statistics for December suddenly disappear from the entire network? He had saved the files himself only yesterday, before starting his vacation. It was going to be three weeks of enjoying private time with his wife of eight months, Marti, and their first Christmas as a married couple.

It was also their last Christmas before they became parents. Their first child was due around the New Year, and although Ewan was eagerly anticipating their son’s arrival, he was looking forward to some quiet time with Marti. Their lives had been so crazy lately, between his trying to wrap things up at the agency for a while, and Marti preparing to give birth. The arrival of his parents, as well as his cousins Dana and Joshua, with Joshua’s wife Sybil, hadn’t put any dents in his plans. His family was staying at the Atlantica Hotel on Quinpool Road, not far from his office, and were only at the condo during the daytime.

An image of his wife rose in his mind. Even though she was tired from carrying an extra fifteen pounds, she was still beautiful. Her big hazel eyes always had a spark of wisdom and humour, and her reddish-brown hair had become thicker and wavier in the last few months. Her extended tummy and engorged breasts enticed and aroused him. He loved feeling the baby kicking and rolling around. It had become part of their nightly ritual. After eight years apart, knowing they were finally married was still a shock to him. He had been without her for so long, and they were now expecting their first child.

He grinned as he pictured the look on Marti’s face when she told him about the baby.

“Aren’t you going to say anything, Daddy?” There was a hint of snark and so much joy in her voice. Her eyes had sparkled in the dim light from the back door of his parents’ house and there had been an almost secret knowledge behind her touch.

Damn, he was missing her a lot that morning, especially since she was entertaining his family while he was called in to work on a crisis. Unfortunately, Marti’s cousins, Miranda and Ralph, who had started the company, were not answering their phones. It was Miranda’s duty to find that damn file, not his. He was supposed to be off work. She wasn’t. She owed him big time for this one.

 

 

About the Author


V.J. Allison was born and raised in southern Nova Scotia, Canada, and her work reflects her strong Maritime roots. She is a stay-at-home mother to a son on the autism spectrum, married to the love of her life, and “mama” to a rescued Maine Coon cat named Marnie. She has been writing various stories of novel length and short stories since her school days, and sees writing as a vital component to her life.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to read romance and science fiction novels (notably Star Wars); listen to music (heavy metal, rock, alternative); watch various crime and forensic dramas; watch science fiction television shows and movies; and spend time with her large family and many friends. This self-proclaimed geeky rocker chick is a warrior and advocate for various chronic illnesses including Occipital Neuralgia, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Diabetes, Migraines, and Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia. She is also an advocate for the prevention of animal cruelty and is a voice for Autism Awareness.

 

WebsiteWord Processor, Romance, Cats, Kids and Creed (blog) – TwittereXtasy BooksFacebook ProfileFacebook Fan PageVJ’s VIP Lounge

 

 

Friday 30 October 2020

Today Is The Day

  




NOTE 

I use the spellings Fairy, faerie and faery interchangeably, although I believe the words can be used to denote slightly different kinds of fair folk. In Wales, we tend to not really care how we spell it because we're too busy trying to make sure they don't upset the cats.


Samhain (Halloween) has always been a special festival for me. At a time when the veil between the worlds is thin and can be crossed by those who know the paths (and those who stumble onto them), the faeries are out in force, causing all kinds of mischief.

Many Welsh myths and legends are bound up with mysteries involving the fae folk, who get involved in all kinds of shenanigans, sometimes to help, sometimes to hinder, and sometimes with murderous intent. 

No Celt with knowledge or affinity with the old ways, the old stories or the little customs that linger, would tell you that fairy tales are nice. There may be dainty fairies with gossamer wings, tiny. chubby babies sleeping in flowers, or magical animals by the dozen but they're all waiting to curdle your milk, lure you off the path to your doom, or tangle your horse's mane in the night. 

Fairy Tales are dark and twisted things, like the people who inhabit them. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Fairy Tales and I love faeries. They might not be pixie dust and daydreams, but you can always trust a faery to tell a cracking good tale - mostly lies, or at least almost incomprehensible truths.

Like our Celtic faeries, those who inhabit the pages of Willow's Way are generally not of the sleeping-in-a-pansy variety, although there are plenty of those around. Willow and his peers can be surprisingly boring and frustrating. Sometimes Tay feels it's all too much, that he simply can't bear the constant danger, the wholly unfamiliar world he finds himself and the heartwrenching pain of having been torn from the only family he knows, never to see them again. And then, sometimes he's just plain bored.

Slowly, Willow becomes more of a friend and less of a pain in the butt, while Cale becomes less of a friend and more of a monster. It's a bit much for a somewhat sheltered boy from the Valleys, but he has no choice but to press on and ride the tale to its end, no matter where that might be.


Willow's Way

Dark Fairy Tales Book 1



Sales Link

Devine Destinies


Blurb

Cale always told Tay that fairy tales were dark. But they always have happy endings, right?

Taylor Preston is a normal sixteen-year-old whose biggest worries are his GCSE exams. He’s right in the middle of them, but he has a summer of fun with his parents to look forward to after. Or not.

Despite their promise to spend the summer focusing on their one and only son, Tay’s parents, Local Authority specialist foster carers, take on one more special case.

Willow’s arrival throws more than Tay’s summer into chaos. Suddenly, his best friend is possessed by a demon, his parents aren’t his parents after all, and he’s literally living a nightmare in a fairy tale world that as dark as anything Cale ever warned him about. All he has is Willow and a burning desire to save his friend before he succumbs to the demon and Willow kills him.


Excerpt

It was dark when they left the club. Most of the younger kids had already left, and the rest of them tumbled out into the cold, clear night. After a rowdy round of goodbyes, the four friends headed for home. Willow looked shell-shocked. Ally was still chatting away, and Tay had an idea it wasn’t helping.

Almost as soon as he stepped onto the pavement, Tay got the feeling they were being watched. He tried to look around surreptitiously, not to worry anyone else, but he couldn’t see anything.

“Do you feel it too?” Cale asked quietly, not for Ally to hear.

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

“I can’t see anything. I don’t think anyone’s following us, but I’m totally creeped out.”

“Me too.”

 “I think Willow’s feeling it too,” Cale said, nodding his head. Willow’s eyes were everywhere, his back tense as a bowstring.

“What can we do?”

“Just have to keep alert.”

They were walking past the park when Willow stopped dead and turned his head from side to side, his eyes scanning the area.

Tay glanced towards the park, and for a moment, he panicked when he saw what looked like oily black smoke rolling over the ground, reaching for them with its tendril fingers. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, there was nothing but mist.

“I’m freaking out here. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice. Come on Willow, get a move on.”

Willow looked around once more, then nodded and started walking again. Tay saw the terrifying crawling darkness in every shadow. Black fingers reached for him from every alley, every opening. Without realizing, he walked closer to Cale.

“Do you want me to put my arm around you?”

“What?”

“If you get any closer, you’ll be crawling up me. Do you want my big strong protective arm around you?”

“You wish.”

“What’s freaking you out so much?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Nothing, honest.”

“Whatever.”

At the corner of Tay’s street, the friends parted. None of them were hopeful they’d be able to meet up the next day. Indeed, Ally argued against it as vehemently as Lily had.

“See you Monday then,” Cale said. “Take care.”

“You too.”

Cale nodded. “Watch your back.”

“Just go home.”

Cale grinned and followed Ally, leaving Tay and Willow to trudge down the street.

* * * *

When Cale had walked Ally home, he headed back through the park. A cold wind bit into him and he shivered, pulling his jacket tighter around him. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye—something black. Freezing, he spun toward the movement. There was nothing there. Moments later, a squirrel ran up the trunk of a tree, scaring him half to death.

“You’re losing it, Bishop,” he muttered to himself, then turned back to the path. He froze again and tilted his head back, running his eyes up the column of black smoke. Somewhere near the top were two glowing red lights. They looked suspiciously like eyes. “Oh shit.”



Giveaway

This giveaway will be open until the end of the book tour (30th November) It's quite separate from other giveaways associated with the blog tour.

All you have to do is leave a comment. It would be lovely if you told me something about fairies, spooks or anything Halloweeny, but Hey I'm here, I see you is good enough.  It would also be great if you would take the time to sign up for my newsletter while you're here. I have to hold up my hands and confess that I've been bad at sending out my newsletter this year, but it's been a tough one in many ways and I'm hopeful I'll back on track soon. I will definitely be getting out a Christmas newsletter, with news, gossip and possibly a holiday story.

And what will be the prize, you ask? I thought about a copy of Willow's Way but that would be counterproductive because no one would buy it until the end of the month, so I'm offering a spooky, sexy alternative.

Things That Go Hump In The Night (I know, it's corny but I love it) is an anthology of five sizzling hot paranormal stories about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, angels and demons...and a very sexy cursed Fey. It is written under the name of Nephylim, which is my grown-up alter ego so you know it's going to be spicy and hot.

 

Thursday 29 October 2020

Tomorrow is THE DAY

 


Tomorrow is the day when the first book of my Young Adult fantasy series Dak Fairy Tales is released.


Willow's Way is the story of Tay, his best friend Cale and Willow, a faerie sworn to protect Tay as they trave the world of Faerie trying to find a way to save Cale from the demon possessing him before it takes him over and Willow has to kill him.



Sales Link

Devine Destinies

 

Blurb

Cale always told Tay that fairy tales were dark. But they always have happy endings, right?


Taylor Preston is a normal sixteen-year-old whose biggest worries are his GCSE exams. He’s right in the middle of them, but he has a summer of fun with his parents to look forward to after. Or not.


Despite their promise to spend the summer focusing on their one and only son, Tay’s parents, Local Authority specialist foster carers, take on one more special case.


Willow’s arrival throws more than Tay’s summer into chaos. Suddenly, his best friend is possessed by a demon, his parents aren’t his parents after all, and he’s literally living a nightmare in a fairy tale world that as dark as anything Cale ever warned him about. All he has is Willow and a burning desire to save his friend before he succumbs to the demon and Willow kills him.



Blog Tour

A big thank you to Silver Dagger Book Tours for organising an amazing tour for me. Please take a moment to check out some (or all) of the posts and the blogs who post them. Most of these blogs are new to me and I will be checking them out with interest. It is my intention to respond to every comment made as I'd love to have the opportunity to chat to readers.

Oct 30

kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours

A Pinch of Bookdust

Oct 31

Never Hollowed By The Stare

Nov 1

Sadie's Spotlight

Nov 2

My Plans Are Booked

@rozierreadsandwine

Nov 3

Renee Wildes Weblog

Character Madness and Musings

Nov 4

bookblogarama

Westveil Publishing   

Nov 5

My Plans Are Booked

Bedazzled By Books 

Nov 6

Craving Lovely Books   

Musings From An Addicted Reader  

Nov 7

Readeropolis GUEST POST

Nov 9

Midnight Book Reader

Scrupulous Dreams

Nov 10

Love Bytes - GUEST POST

The Faerie Review 

Nov 11

The Bookshelf Fairy

Twisted Book Ramblings 

Nov 12

Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'    

The Book Dragon

Nov 13

Sapphyria's Book Reviews

Inside the Insanity GUEST POST

Nov 14

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee 

Nov 15

Interesting Authors | Eclectic Readers!

Nov 16

Indie Author Book Reviews   

Books a Plenty Book Reviews 

Nov 17

Literary Gold

Drako's Den

Nov 18

Books, Authors, Blogs   

Girl with Pen

Nov 19

IndiePowerd by No Sweat Graphics

Bayou Queen Book Fanatic 

Nov 20

Books all things paranormal and romance

Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read    

Nov 23

A Wonderful World of Words GUEST POST

Bayou Book Junkie

Nov 24

The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'

T's Stuff

 Nov 25

Sylv.net

Insane Books

Nov 26

Thanksgiving Day

Nov 27

4covert2overt ☼ A Place In TheSpotlight ☼  – GUEST POST

Teatime and Books

Nov 28

❧Defining Ways 

Nov 29

ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ

Why I Can't Stop Reading

Nov 30

Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author

eBook Addicts


Giveaway


Don't forget to check in tomorrow for a spooky giveaway and a chance to win a copy of Willow's Way


Tuesday 27 October 2020

Countdown to Friday





This Friday (30th October) sees the release of the first of a brand new Young Adult fantasy trilogy, Willow's Way introduces us to sixteen-year-old Taylor Preston. Right in the middle of his GCSE examinations, he's looking forward to a summer of friends and family, Then, his parents take in a new foster son and his world goes to hell.

Willow doesn't speak and is downright weird. Tay has no idea just how weird until, one day, he speaks and Tay's world crumbles. 

Lost in a new world, where the one he thought he knew is turned on its head, Tay must fight to save his best friend, Cale, who is possessed by a demon and a target for everyone with a knife or a sword in their hands. Even Willow who is supposed to be Tay's protector would kill Cale if he had the chance. Tay will not allow it and stubbornly holds out hope, against all the odds, that the mysterious Enchantress will have a way to save Cale before his time runs out and the demon takes him over entirely.

From the heart of the Welsh Valleys to The Kingdom in the heart of Faerie, Tay comes to face with the strangest things, some of which are scary, some delightful, and some that might well kill him before he even has a chance to meet his real mother. 

With Willow at his side, he must brave the worst that Faerie has to throw at him and take a journey that no Welsh schoolboy has ever dreamed of. Tay's lost, and his only chance is to follow Willow's Way.

In this first book of the series, LGBT themes are discussed in a general way. In later books, this will be taken further and gay relationships will develop. However, as a Young Adult book, all physical contact will be appropriate according to Tay's age.

Keep watching for more information and a spooky gievaway on Friday.

Saturday 10 October 2020

NEW RELEASE - Shifting Chaos by Elizabeth Noble

 



Blurb: 

Now in Kindle Unlimited

We aren't a we without all of us.

Chaos reigns in The Sleepless City and it’s really beginning to piss Detective Jonas Forge off.

He’s separated from his soulmate, Blair Turner. A separation he fears might be permanent. Nothing is going right. It’s as if the universe is conspiring against him. A long closed off door buried deep within his psyche cracks open when a turn of events flips his world upside down. There’s a monster behind that door and he’s not sure where the monster leaves off and he begins.

Hallucinations grip the town and demons lurk around every corner, causing havoc and threatening to tear the family in Boggs’s Castle to shreds. The only way forward is to bare all to each other. While Forge and Declan confront horrors from their shared past, they all learn a terrible truth about vampires—one not even imagined in their worst nightmare.

Can they control a monster to defeat a demon?


If you like imperfect heroes with tarnished pasts who don’t know how to quit, then you’ll love Shifting Chaos by Elizabeth Noble, the action-packed, emotional conclusion to The Sleepless City.


Author's note: This book was originally published in 2015. It has been rewritten with new chapters and scenes and re-edited. 


 

Author Bio

Mystery, action, chills, and thrills spiced with romance and desire. ELIZABETH NOBLE lives by the adage "I can't not write." She doesn't remember a time when she didn’t make up stories and eventually she learned how to put words on a page. Those words turned into books and fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M fiction. A part of every day is spent living in worlds she created that are filled with intrigue and espionage. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural.

 

When she's not chronicling the adventures of her many characters, Elizabeth is a veterinary nurse living in her native Cleveland, Ohio. She has three grown children and now happily shares her little, brick house with a spunky Cardigan Welsh Corgi and his sidekick, tabby cat. Elizabeth is a fan of baseball, basketball (go Cavs and Cleveland Baseball) and gardening. She can often be found working in her 'outside office' listening to classic rock and plotter her next novel waiting for it to be dark enough to gaze at the stars.

 

Elizabeth has received a number of amateur writing awards. Since being published, several of her novels have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Jewel Cave was a runner-up in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category in the 2015 Rainbow Awards. Ringed Love was a winner in the Gay Fantasy Romance category of the 2016 Rainbow Awards.  



Website:  http://www.elizabeth-noble.com

E-Mail: elizabeth.noble19@gmail.com

Newsletter sign up: http://eepurl.com/Alp8T

Circles website:  http://bit.ly/2aryKUQ

Vampire Guard website: http://bit.ly/232TyHH

JMS page: http://bit.ly/2MRnmYC

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bqjwCc 

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1BZ2Doa

Facebook Author page:  http://bit.ly/2yULsIM

Twitter: @elizabethnoble1

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2yUgVus 

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2b8IQdL

QueeRomance Ink: http://bit.ly/2jmzVfk

Liminal Fiction: https://bit.ly/2Y84k4u

Gay Romance Readers Club: http://bit.ly/2S5UNdP

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/2YzjHlr

Bookstrand: http://bit.ly/2Z7zHzq


Saturday 19 September 2020

Taking Stock by A L Lester

 Thank you so much for having me today to tell you a little bit about Taking Stock!



It's 1972. 

Fifteen years ago, teenage Laurie Henshaw came to live at Webber’s Farm with his elderly uncle and settled in to the farming life. Now, age thirty-two, he has a stroke in the middle of working on the farm. As he recovers, he has to come to terms with the fact that some of his new limitations are permanent and he’s never going to be as active as he used to be. Will he be able to accept the helping hands his friends extend to him? 

With twenty successful years in the City behind him, Phil McManus is hiding in the country after his boyfriend set him up to take the fall for an insider trading deal at his London stockbroking firm. There’s not enough evidence to prosecute anyone, but not enough to clear him either. He can’t bear the idea of continuing his old stagnating life in the city, or going back to his job now everyone knows he’s gay. 

Thrown together in a small country village, can Phil and Laurie forge a new life that suits the two of them and the makeshift family that gathers round them? Or are they too tied up in their own shortcomings to recognise what they have? 


Taking Stock is a 40,000 word gay romance set mostly in rural England. It’s set on Webber’s Farm, which I first wrote about in Inheritance of Shadows. Inheritance is set in 1919 and is part of my spooky paranormal universe. I based the farm on somewhere I used to know as a child on the Quantock Hills in Somerset and didn’t want to leave after Inheritance. Taking Stock is the result. Although it’s set in the same universe as my other books and some of the same background characters are there, there’s nothing paranormal or suspenseful. 

Instead it’s a gentle story about two people who are hurt and angry and tired, who find their way toward each other and help each other heal.

Initially Laurie was going to have a similar chronic condition to me…I have fibromyalgia and seizures…but then just before I actually sat down to get the words out of my head and on to the page, my Mama had a very severe stroke. She is in her eighties and has been more or less working her seven acre smallholding singlehandedly for years. Her frustration and anger at her situation translated directly into Laurie as I was writing. So he’s a combination of both my own feelings about my lack of agency through my disability, and hers.

It was a very emotive story for me to write and I hope you enjoy it.

Length:  40,000 words

Publisher:  JMS Books LLC

Release Date:  Sept 19th 2020


You can buy/preorder Taking Stock here: https://allester.co.uk/takingstock/

About A. L. Lester 

Writer of queer, paranormal, historical, romantic suspense. Lives in the South West of England with Mr AL, two children, a badly behaved dachshund, a terrifying cat and some hens. Likes gardening but doesn't really have time or energy. Not musical. Doesn't much like telly. Non-binary. Chronically disabled. Has tedious fits.

You can stalk me on all sorts of different internet platforms here: https://lnk.bio/gjD5


Monday 29 June 2020

Some Of My Favoutire Books - m/m

I have so many favourites that I didn't know how to approach this one. In the end, I decided to choose books whose characters have stayed with me over time. There won't, therefore, be many, if any, new releases. This also allows for the fact that I have an appalling memory and if I didn't choose books that have endured in my mind. I still won't get to all of them because I'll remember more later, then more tomorrow etc. If I overthink this I will never start so just let's get on. I am sorry to have left so wonderful books out but I would be here forever, and no one would get to the end of the post.

HAINTED

By Jordan Hawk



A retired ghost hunter. A man seeking redemption. Can they stop an ancient evil from destroying the world?

Dan Miller once hunted the zombie-like revenants known as haints. He protected the living and quieted the dead. After his parents’ death, Dan gave up his own dreams to raise his young siblings. But when a necromancer’s dark magic leads to murder, Dan must once again take on the mantle of protector and put his life on the line

Leif Helsvin needs Dan’s help to hunt down the necromancer. But the desire to solve the murder and find justice isn’t the only emotion at play between Leif and Dan. As the two men grow closer, the passion between them threatens to ignite into a fire neither of them can control. Will Dan give into his desire for Leif, or will the necromancer’s evil destroy their love before it can even begin?

Hainted is an m/m paranormal romance novel. If you like suspense, romance, and a bit of magic, you’ll love Jordan L. Hawk’s supernatural adventure.

Buy today to experience this haunting story of romance and redemption!

On almost the same footing are Jordan's fantasy series



ALEX, (AS WELL AS THE OTHER TWO IN THE TRILOGY - THE SHED, THR BASEMENT)

By Dianne Hartsock

 

Alex is twenty and confused. He always is. Severely abused as a child, he's left with scars on his body and even worse scars within his mind. But from this pain he receives his gift of empathy, his ability to see and react to the strong emotions of others. When a serial killer moves into the area and begins to threaten those around him, Alex is compelled by his visions to rescue them. When he can, he helps the police, yet some detectives suspect he's the cause of the problem, not the solution.

As Alex comes closer to uncovering the killer's identity, his visions turn to nightmares. He hears the cries of the children, the screams of the tortured. Will the support and love of his friends be enough to get Alex through this summer of terror, or will he lose himself in his dreams and become yet another victim to the killer's gruesome games?

THE HIDDEN GEM SERIES AND THE HAVEN INVESTIGATIONS SERIES

By Lissa Kasey

I truly can't choose between these two series which couldn't be more different.

Hidden Gem is pure fantasy while Haven Investigations is entirely contemporary. They have many things in common though - fragile, broken men who are stronger than they look, mystery surrounding the character's origins, strong partner, cross dressing, mystery and mayhem

I read the Hidden Gem series first so I'll put it first here.



Hidden Gem: The sparkling jewel of the Hidden Gem, City M’s most renowned brothel, Misaki “Aki” Ito is living the good life. He’s not subjected to torture for his psi abilities, he has a roof over his head, food to eat, and all the sparkly shoes he could dream about. He also has one particular regular he can’t get enough of, Shane McNaughton, even if Shane occasionally asks for Aki’s help on a case.

Shane is a cop specializing in missing persons. He’s good at finding people, not just because of his years as a seasoned detective, but because he survived the Third World War and resulting plague with a few supernatural abilities himself. Mutated by the virus that wiped out two-thirds of the world’s population, Shane no longer considers himself human. Which is why he limits his visits to a very breakable psi companion when not working a case, no matter how much he might want Aki.


When a high ranking official’s daughter goes missing and feared dead, Shane has no choice but to ask Aki to use his abilities to help him track down the kidnapper. The case opens a door to a past Aki thought he had escaped. Will Shane’s love be enough to save them all when something dark is awakened inside of Aki?


Model Citizen: Shattered by the death of his brother, Ollie is struggling to put one foot in front of the other. Kade, his brother’s best friend, entering the picture seems like the help and comfort Ollie needs. Trusting this older man with his secrets, much less his heart, is something Ollie isn’t so sure is a good idea.

Between the two of them they’re going to need to come to grips with their budding relationship, and learn to trust, before their current investigation kills them. Literally.


Note: This MM romance features a tattooed ex-Marine, a former model with a passion for manties and sticking his nose into mysteries, and a bunch of reality TV stars with the habit of getting murdered. Second edition.

This is getting really hard. So many books. So little space. I'll finish with two books/series that I keep going back to. they are totally different, in content and tone. Again, one is fantasy and the other is contemporary. One is dark and serious while the other had me laughing out loud and snorting various drinks. It also reminds me of driving home, with both (adult) children, from a fantastic weekend. It was memorable because it was one of only two occasions since my daughter left home (wow it was 15 years ago) that we all went away for a weekend together. I'm rambling, so I'll get on with it 

THE TIED MAN

By Tabitha McGowan




Lilith Bresson, an independent, successful young artist, is forced to travel from her home in Spain to the wild borderlands of northern England, to repay her feckless father’s latest debt by painting a portrait of the enigmatic Lady Blaine Albermarle.

On her first night at Albermarle Hall she meets Finn Strachan, Blaine’s ‘companion’, a cultured and hauntingly beautiful young man who seems to have it all. But Lilith has an artist’s eye, and a gift for seeing what lies beneath the skin. She soon discovers that Blaine is more gaoler than lover, and if the price is right, depravity has no limits.

As the weeks pass, Lilith finds that she too is drawn into the malign web that her patron has spun, yet against the odds she forges a strong friendship with the damaged, dysfunctional Finn. In a dark, modern twist to an age-old story, Lilith Bresson proves that sometimes it’s the princess who needs to become the rescuer.

Please note that this storyline contains depictions of drug abuse, violence and non-consensual sex.




Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the king's wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam's 14, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At 15, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle - Knight Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can't control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the king sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan's boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.

Or, so he thinks.