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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Give Me Grace by Bethany A. Perry (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger (Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: The Demon Lord of California by Jeanne Marcella (Character Profile & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: The Dichotomy of Angels by N.R. Walker
The Dichotomy of Angels – N.R. Walker
Nathaniel and Chasan are no ordinary angels.
Destiny chose them to be twin flames, fated mates. But Nathaniel has avoided Chasan for nearly a thousand years.
When sent to Earth on a mission to live and work together, Nathaniel comes face-to-face with his destiny. Short-tempered, petulant, and grumpy, he hates the idea of being fated to anyone and has chosen an existence of isolation rather than spending time with the calm, kind, and serene Chasan. But now he has no choice.
One is fire, the other is air; a true dichotomy of angels. Together they will be ignited, or they will be extinguished. This assignment will seal their fate either way.
Let it be known that all of Heaven speaks with an Australian accent. It is in the business of saving souls.
Angels are just your regular hard working salarymen assigned to different departments, sometimes to walk among the humans. Saint Peter is in charge. He is their manager. The bosses were all the pantheons known to humanity. They were simply known as ‘Upper Management’.
The most notorious department is the Hell department where the screams of the damned were absorbed by a machine and turned into tennis balls for dogs. The overseer of Hell is the Angel of Fire named Nathaniel.
Nathaniel is always angry. No, not just angry. He “wears his rage like an armor” . He is also stubborn, prone to anxiety, and has a tendency to smite. He wears black. His wings are burnt umber. He is beloved by dogs everywhere.
Chasan is the Angel of Air. He has a cool, calm, serene presence. He sees the good in everything and has a smile for everyone. He wears white. His wings are white with ice blue tips. He is full of heartache.
Because the Angel of Fire and the Angel of Air were fated to one another. They were twin flames, a phenomena that happened once in a lifetime among beings who lived forever. But Nathaniel condemned Chasan to a life of loneliness by wanting to be alone by himself.
This is a story of two opposite beings who were made for each other yet stand apart. Where angels questioned their faith and received answers from humans. Where they get drunk, eat takeouts, play with baby goats, teach twenty 4-year-old hellions and sing Octopus’ Garden. Where blood was shed and things come full circle. And most important of all, it is a story where all dogs do indeed go to heaven.
Let it be known that Heaven is whatever you deserved it to be.
P.S.
N.R. Walker is author of some of the best gay romances out there. Read reviews of her books here.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySountrack: Dream
Artist: Birdy
Album: Fire Within -
Midnight Angel – Kevin Klehr
Dinner is overcooked. The guests haven’t arrived. And Luke is sitting alone at his dining table on New Year’s Eve. He was hoping to romance Nathan, one of the people he invited for this intimate evening meal.
As midnight draws closer, it seems an angel, who has magically appeared in Luke’s apartment, is the only person to drink champagne and watch the fireworks with.
But this angel has other ideas. He’s about to grant Luke the New Year’s Eve party he thought he wanted.
Midnight Angel is your typical heartwarming holiday story that’s sure to give you feels. However, I felt it was a tad too cheesy at times. Some of the lines and dialogue didn’t feel natural and I couldn’t imagine anybody saying them out loud with a straight face.
One of the best parts of the story is the friendship between Luke and Tim. When they laid it all out and decided that they might be able to make it work, I felt like they would still be friends even if it didn’t. For me, this kind of relationship is more important than a forced romance. I wanted to see more of Tim’s interaction with Luke prior to the party. We are told rather than shown his awkwardness when talking to Luke and I thought it would have been adorable to witness.
The main theme was love vs infatuation and Guy, the angel, tried to steer Luke in the right direction because it was pretty obvious to everyone that Mr. Right was right in front of him but he stubbornly refused to see.
In the end, Luke was able to open his eyes to what the future might bring. They didn’t call it love, at least not yet. I liked that they took time to nurture the relationship and let it grow. As the months go by, Luke was able to finally find the strength to say the words and the story ended in the best possible way.
P.S.
I received a copy of Midnight Angel from Nine Star Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
Soundtrack: Searching for Mr. Right
Artist: Young Marble Giants
Album: Colossal Youth(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42836188-midnight-angel)
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I hadn’t been “possessed”, after all. Not by an angel or a demon. Maybe there were aspects of both inside me, but I was the one who chose which to let out.
Lauren Myracle -
Of Heaven and Hell: A Wayward Ink Publishing Anthology –
Kim Fielding, Michael P. Thomas, J. Alan Veerkamp, Asta Idonea, Nicki J. Markus, Eric Gober, Nephylim, Eddy LeFey , S. Zanne, Jana Denardo, Kassandra Lea & M.C. Rayne
Whether you like your angels and demons naughty or nice…
Whether you like them angelic or demonic, we have a story for you.
Our authors have tuned up their harp strings, and let loose their inner demons.
We have demons with inner angels itching to be let loose.
And angels teetering on the brink.
We have dark. We have light.
We have angst. And forbidden love.
We have happy endings and not so happy endings…
We have the stories OF HEAVEN AND HELL.
Corruption by Kim Fielding – posted here
Purgatory by M.C. Rayne – A grief-stricken Bailey commits suicide after his husband Greyson succumbs to cancer. Drench with sorrow and darkness but always, always holding on to the light.
I feel you Bailey!
Sin to Get Saved by Michael P. Thomas – posted here
Cardinal Sins by J. Alan Veerkamp – Mysterious former priest Jacob had his runic tattoos done by Ozzie with whom he feels strong desires. And I am feeling strong Constantine vibes.
21st Century Demon by Asta Idonea – A day (and night) with a demon going about his business seducing mortals for their soul. Saul is an overconfident demon who suddenly found himself unexpectedly attached to his mark. I love the writing style, humor and pop culture references. I’m rooting hard for Saul and Tom
Purgatory Pink by Eric Gober – Lovable trio of gay friends Mickey, Damon and Angelo vacations in a gay ski resort. Mickey tries to play cupid to feuding frenemies Damon and Angelo. Will they or won’t they? Slightly amusing, slightly sassy, slightly cheesy.
Fade to Light by Nephylim – Taz, whose circumstances are unknown meets cross-dressing Pix and somber Rohan in one of his endless journeys. Beyond that I don’t know anymore because I don’t care and I couldn’t connect with any of characters plus there’s hardly any world building. Weakest of the bunch.
Guardian by Eddy LeFey – A Guardian angel, Callum, on a mission to save his charge, Rory, from demonic frat boys. Steve and his groping hands are annoying but at the very least it’s fluffy.
Drawing Head by S. Zanne – A story about a serial killing demon, Devin and James, the hunter out to get him. Generations of Goodman had tried but only he succeeded. But damn that ending! He got you too, didn’t he, James?
A Wolf in the Fold by Jana Denardo – Incubus Carduus also known as David, the tea monkey and aspiring artist, seeks to be a better person for his lover, Mark, a detective. Very domesticated demon. Befriends interesting Goth girl, Lamia. Eats sex offenders. I just wished he told Mark the truth.
Dripping in SIn by Kassandra Lea – A demon, Flynn, had a hot date with his lover, the angel Samuel. That’s it really. It’s not any different from how humans go about it.
Rating:
Corruption –
3.5 Stars
Purgatory – 4 Stars
Sin to Get Saved – 4.5 Stars
Cardinal Sins – 4 Stars
21st Century Demon – 5 Stars
Purgatory Pink – 3 Stars
Fade to Light – 2 Stars
Guardian – 2.5 Stars
Drawing Head – 4 Stars
A Wolf in the Fold – 3 Stars
Dripping in SIn – 2.5 StarsOverall:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: Some Demon
Artist: Dave Matthews
Album: Some Demon -
An angel for some,
a demon for some,
for me, it’s heart of the one.Abhishek Singh Sikarwar -
Sin to Get Saved – Michael P. Thomas
Hubert knows he brings shame on himself and on the Lord by being a queer – his grandad and the pastor of his evangelical church tell him as much all the time. So when he dies in a freak accident, he’s as delighted as he is surprised to waltz right through the Pearly Gates, no questions asked. He even gets a beautiful angel named Bartholomew as his very own guide to the Afterlife.
But when the angel makes brazen overtures, Hubert realizes his soul may have taken a wrong turn. Hubert beseeches Bartholomew to keep his hands to himself and help him find his rightful place in the Heaven he’s always heard about. As they set out to explore his options, Bartholomew hopes Hubert will learn a thing or two along the way about the deeply personal definitions of Paradise.
On some AM stations on the radio, I would sometimes catch American preachers sharing the good news and mangling our dialect with their Southern accent as they condemn sinners to perdition. It was pretty amusing to listen to for a while, mostly because of the funny accents, but all these talks about damnation could suck the joy out of a Labrador Retriever. The Reverend Jarvis had been to Southeast Asia and I’m pretty sure he did God’s work while enjoying the exotic delights of the region. You see a lot of old white guys with very young and nubile island girls in these so called paradise islands.
Hubert, poor Hubert was told all his life that he is ugly and sinful because he was a queer. When he finally kicked the bucket by means of a lead pipe to his skull, he was taken to his heaven by his angel Bartholomew. There Hubert struggled to avoid temptation, something he had been doing all his life, in order to get to Reverend Jarvis’ heaven. When Bartholomew pulled some strings and sent Hubert to the reverend’s heaven, he was in for a rude awakening. Hubert realized that all that he was told all his life was a lie.
I felt a mixture of pity and annoyance towards Hubert for being naive, ignorant and innocent. I was so relieved when he finally realized the truth. Coming from a highly religious country, I could definitely relate to how a church can brainwash people into blind, unthinking sheep. The way the author used humor to present the hypocrisy and corruption of some religious leaders was quite effective at highlighting the kind of wordplay these people use to manipulate and control their flock. The opening was worth a few chuckles. However Michael P. Thomas did not condemn the Reverend Jarvis to hell. Instead, he gave Jarvis his own piece of heaven. I liked the idea of non-judgmental Creator and angels. Everybody gets his or her own slice of paradise. I hated the reverend and thought it was unfair he gets his heaven. But that’s me being judgmental and petty and I’m pretty sure equally judgmental and petty individuals will judge me for my own version of heaven.
Rating
4.5 – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Heaven
Artist: Jonathan
Album: To Love(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35106999-sin-to-get-saved)
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Bureau: Corruption – Kim Fielding
Once a proud demon of the night sky who carried nightmares to humans, Tenrael has spent decades in captivity as the star attraction of a traveling carnival. He exists in miserable servitude to men who plunk down ten dollars to fulfill their dark desires.
Charles Grimes is half human, half… something else. For fifteen years he’s worked for the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs, ridding the country of dangerous monsters. When his boss sends him to Kansas to chase a rumor about a captive demon, Charles figures it’s just another assignment. Until he meets Tenrael.
I really liked this!
Poor Tenrael, he might be a demon but he didn’t deserve the torture and abuse. He’s not really the ravager of innocents, eater of babies kind of demon. All he does is give people bad dreams. Charles is something of an angelic being on his father’s side but he didn’t really confirm it. Whatever he maybe, the moment he saw Tenrael, there was instant attraction. I normally don’t like insta-attraction/insta-lust but maybe we can chalk it up to the cosmic connection between the two. Anyway, It didn’t detract from the story. The romance was sweet with some M/s flavor and I would like think they got their HEA (hope to see them in the next book too). The world-building wasn’t in-depth since it’s a short story but I kind of wished it’s a full-length novel just so I could learn more about the entire AU and occult magic system. The setting was perhaps intentionally vague (it could have been the 1950s since they still wear hats) and gave plausibility to the traveling carnival part. The story was dark but poignant. I didn’t realize Kim Fielding writes dark stories (I read Speechless which was so fluffy) but she had me rooting for Tenrael and Charles from the beginning. Looking forward to the other books of this series!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: No One is Innocent
Artist: Sex Pistols
Album: The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35305623-corruption)
