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BOOK BLITZ: Too Good To Be True by A.S. Kelly (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Deadly Lineage by M.J. May
Deadly Lineage – M.J. May
Shunned by most species and abandoned by their warlock fathers, necromancers are marginalized, feared, and reclusive. Erasmus Boone is different. His warlock father chose love instead of abandonment. Unusually powerful and talented, Boone’s embraced his necromantic abilities and managed to carve out an existence within a world that would rather he not exist at all.
Humans aren’t the most respected species. Hell, they’re just a step above termites in the eyes of most. Detective Franklin O’Hare has never taken derision towards his humanity to heart. Determined to do the best given his human limitations, Detective O’Hare does whatever it takes to right the wrongs of the world—no matter the species concerned—even if that means working with a necromancer. Besides, Erasmus Boone isn’t so bad. In fact, he’s temptingly perfect.
Seeking solace after a difficult case, Boone walks the typically peaceful gravesites of Trinity’s Holy Cross Cemetery. The gentle hum of contented, long-dead souls ease Boone’s mind—until he’s hit with an unearthly cry unlike any he’s heard before. Unfortunately, that first soulful cry isn’t Boone’s last, each wail revealing a disconcerting pattern. There’s a serial killer in the wind, and their murders are resulting in souls with painful, missing pieces, leaving their voices incoherent and
indecipherable.Boone and O’Hare must work closely together if they’re going to stop the killings. O’Hare learns quickly that keeping Boone safe from disgruntled clients and serial killers is a never-ending and nearly impossible task.
As O’Hare and Boone grow closer, so does the killer. They need to figure out who’s indiscriminately murdering seemingly unrelated species, and why the victims’ souls are devastated beyond repair, before Boone becomes another victim on the ominous list.
Deadly Lineage is the first book in the Necromancer Tales series. This series is a spin-off of the Perfect Pixie series and takes place in the same world but can be read as a stand-alone. Deadly Lineage is a M/M romantic fantasy mystery with an unusually sane necromancer just trying to make a living, a humble human detective attempting to ignore his attraction to the aforementioned necromancer, an arrogant but redeemably overprotective warlock father, a twisted serial killer, a questionably agreeable all-powerful djinn, damaged souls, humans-some redeemable and some not, a steamy Mississippi summer, and far too much sweet tea. Deadly Lineage has a HFN ending.
Mentions of violence, murder, souls bruoght back from the beyond, speciest bigotry, and a few characters of questionable morals and sanity.
Deadly Lineage is the series opener of Necromancer Tales, a paranormal/urban fantasy spin-off of Perfect Pixie by M.J. May. This is a world where supernatural creatures live openly among humans. The story is in dual POVs.
The opening scene immediately grabbed my attention with jobbing necromancer Erasmus Boone chilling in an old cemetery, then tasked to summon the soul of a murder victim. Hovering around him is Police Detective Franklin O’Hare, in charge of the crime scene, and really because the good detective is crushing on the necromancer.
This was the first of what became a series of murders in which the souls of the victims were torn apart. Erasmus was puzzled, as only a necromancer—whether working alone or in collaboration with a witch or warlock—has the ability to do such a thing. He is the only known necromancer in the area.
Like most necromancers, Erasmus is a solitary creature, but he’s sweet-natured and full of southern charm. As a necromancer, he would have been chased out of his neighborhood if not for a kindly neighbor couple. In more vulnerable moments, he finds comfort in his mother’s reminder that he is loved.
Among the various supernatural species, necromancers aren’t very popular. People tend to associate them with necrophilia. Even their own warlock fathers shun them since necromancers tend to become mentally and magically unstable as they grow older and thus have short lifespans. Warlocks can sire only sons, and they’re either warlocks or necromancers.
One of the key aspects is Erasmus’s relationship with his father. His father is one of the most powerful warlocks in the US, and he loves Erasmus, despite Erasmus being a necromancer, and their time together might be short. He’s fiercely protective and readily provides Erasmus with protective charms even if he’s on the other side of the country.
Erasmus is friends with the djinn Aurelia, the best character in the series. As a creature bound to a master, she values having the power to choose. She can be unemotional and has a different perspective on things that humans take for granted, which is amusing whenever she sassed people in her flat tone. She saved the boys every time they’re in a tight spot, and I think she likes the option to do so.
Franklin is Captain America gorgeous and just as protective of his necromancer. He’s as dedicated to his job as he is to keeping Erasmus safe. It’s ridiculously cute whenever he gets into protective boyfriend mode, even when they weren’t boyfriends yet. And the romance is so slow burn, all we get are kisses and sweet tea, granted, they are some knee-melting kisses.
Erasmus’ relationship with Franklin is supportive, refreshingly drama-free, and one of the healthiest, even before they admitted their attraction to each other. I really liked that the author took time to build their romance instead of forcing an HEA. It made me excited for the next books.
The plot focused on the mystery and Erasmus’s connection to it. It’s pretty easy to guess the perp, but far from a letdown, it was fun tagging along with Erasmus and Franklin on their investigation. It also made the world-building more immersive, especially for me as a first-time reader of the Perfect Pixie/Necromancer Tales world.
Their world is not perfect, but I enjoyed reading about it. The highlights are the established magic system, necromancer history, the characters’ connections, the state of their world in general, and their everyday life. It’s fascinating because it’s what the real world would be like if supernatural creatures existed in the here and now.
Also, there were intriguing open threads that would be fun to follow in the sequels. And was that a power-up? Let that be a power-up!
Deadly Lineage is about the sins of the fathers and the trials of sons. Dark with that laid back Southern vibe, overall, it’s a comfort read that is just this side of deadly,
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: I’m Only Human Sometimes
Artist William Control
Album: Babylon
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DEADLY LINEAGE: Kindle | Audiobook
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REVIEW: Lights, Camera, Passion by Isabel Lucero
Lights, Camera, Passion – Isabel Lucero
Playing a lead role in a book-to-movie adaptation with a wild fan base? Sign me up! The only downside is that I’m cast alongside Jacoby “Heartthrob” Hart—Hollywood’s golden boy. If only they knew he was an uppity, pompous snob.
We don’t get along, and if you’re reading the tabloids, you’d assume it was because I “stole” his girlfriend, but they have it all wrong. Jacoby and his cold shoulder started this, and now we’re set to play lovers. The only thing I’d love to do is strangle him, but I’m a professional.
Behind the scenes, we’re either bickering or avoiding each other, but when the cameras start rolling, I can’t believe how much chemistry we have.
One night, during a passionate argument, something happens that I never anticipated. The chemistry that started out as an act turns into much more behind closed doors, but we both have secrets, and Hollywood is a hard place to keep those.
Contains mature themes.
Lights, Camera, Passion is a Hollywood contemporary romance by Isabel Lucero, author of the intense and bloody Dysfunctional.
The plot is life imitating art when two antagonistic actors, Jacoby Hart, and Roman Black, are paired in a live-action adaptation of In Another Life, a popular queer contemporary romance novel. The novel is a love story between the openly gay Andrew and the closeted Will, forced to keep their relationship a secret due to Will’s conservative religious background.
The story hits so close to home that it’s right on Jacoby’s and Roman’s doorsteps. And we witness these two A-listers’s clandestine trysts while dodging friends and co-workers.
The first part where the two actors were thrown in a cabin to get to know each other followed by the filming where they discovered their connection was the most fun! The author brilliantly captured the dynamics and the explosive chemistry between Jacoby and Rome. The long-time secret crushes and mutual pining made things even more delicious!
The book is in their dual POVs and I loved the contrast between their public and private personalities.
Jacoby is reserved and formal, a black-suit-only kind of guy. But when he can be himself, he snarks, likes to take charge, and has a romantic streak that makes Rome swoon.
Rome is a cocky, outgoing, colorful-suits-and-lace-shirts kind of guy. When he’s alone with Jacoby, he’s surprisingly shy and likes to take orders.
The succeeding parts were not necessarily boring, but they were not that exciting either. It was Jacoby and Rome going about their daily lives, meeting family, and doing actor things. The mundane everyday alternates with some intensely passionate alone time, and angstying about coming out.
Most stories about closeted celebrities usually have their coming out moments wrenched out of them, typically through a scene where they’re discovered before they’re ready.
Here, Jacoby and Rome came out on their own terms, prepared, confident, and just happy to let the world know they were together. I really liked how the author executed the coming-out scene. It was cute, sweet, and so ridiculously romantic. The lack of drama made it even more refreshing!
Lights, Camera, Passion is a romance that when from reel to real. While there was a lull, it’s emotional, thrilling and heartfelt on the moments that matter most!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Another Life
Artist: Dirty Nice
Album: Planet Weekend
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LIGHTS, CAMERA, PASSION: Kindle | Audiobook
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REVIEW: Prodigal by Avril Ashton
The Council: Prodigal – Avril Ashton
One man intent on reclaiming his birthright. Another denied his own. The secrets between them should keep them apart, not bring them closer.
The first time someone tried to kill Gideon Winters, his mother took the bullet meant for him. He was thirteen. The second time they came for him, his father faked Gideon’s death and sent him into hiding. It’s been fifteen years and he’s finally out of the shadows, ready to claim his rightful seat on The Council, the secret group of seven with the ability to make or break corporations and countries.
The son of a powerful man who refuses to acknowledge him, André Tesfaye leads a quiet life of monotony that’s upended when he gets trapped in a random robbery. Whispered warnings abound about the man who saves him, but he’s too busy getting lost in Gideon’s ice-blue eyes to listen.
André is the weapon Gideon plans to use to exact revenge on the people who took so much from him. Wanting him, loving him, puts everything at risk, and tests Gideon’s loyalties and focus… Which is a shame, because a battle is on the horizon.
And Gideon has acquired a weakness.
Prodigal is the first book in The Council, a brand new series by bestselling m/m author Avril Ashton. It features forced proximity, opposites attract, interracial romance, and Av’s signature heat and angst.
Prodigal is the first book of The Council, a series by new-to-me author Avril Ashton that features my go-to trope du jour: billionaire secret societies.
Unlike Park Avenue Kings, where the secret society is unified, Prodigal chronicles the upheaval of The Council’s status quo when the son of a recently deceased council member, Gideon Winters, secured his seat through a series of machinations and assassinations.
Gideon has been groomed since childhood and was biding his time until the right moment to strike. To gain leverage on one council member, he convinced the man’s secret son, Andre, along with his adopted sister Juliet, to stay in his penthouse.
Andre has a chip on his shoulder the size of his absentee father, whom he never met. He was forced to stay with the famous billionaire Gideon Winters when the man saved him and Jules from bad guys. Jules adored Gideon right away. Andre doesn’t trust the man but has nowhere to go.
The premise grabbed me right away and the concept is very intriguing. Sadly, the execution didn’t live up to the promise.
The romance came out of nowhere. Gideon and Andre went from barely talking to professing forevers with hardly any build-up. But this is the only part that made them unconvincing because they were pretty fantastic together! The author did a fabulous job making their chemistry sizzle deliciously!
Father-and-son relationships are the central theme, highlighting the contrast between Gideon’s loving relationship with his dad and that of Andre’s connection the stranger who fathered him.
With daddy issues up the wazoo, the vibe is often angsty and bitter, and it’s usually Jules’ cheerful personality that lightens that mood when things get too intense. Jules is 15-years old but her characterization makes her seem 10-years old.
The plot lacked depth and was all over the place, yet it was also compelling enough to keep me hooked. It aimed to depict Gideon as a morally grey character, which he is, but the execution was clumsy. It also turned out the wrongs Gideon was seeking to avenge were the schemes of a dead character, which felt rather anti-climactic because it took away a villain comeuppance scene.
Prodigal isn’t the strongest series opener but it still has its merits. I’m still interested to see where Gideon and Andre would take The Council, so I’m looking forward to Book 2.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Prodigal Son
Artist: Rationale
Album: Rationale
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If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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RELEASE BLITZ: Cold Revenge by D.G. Carothers
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AUDIO RELEASE: Noaz by Crea Reitan
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REVIEW: A Bright Celestial Sea by Chani Lynn Feener
A Bright Celestial Sea – Chani Lynn Feener
Pryor Oro came to the Olympus to find a missing Imperial, not fall for one.
On the space station Olympus, a disappearance and a theft has captured the attention of the Intergalactic Police Force. Assigned to the case, Pryor heads to the World Ship in order to search for a missing prince. While there, he’s forced to work with the Emperor, Wystan Aurelius, who seems to never let Pryor out of his sight. Confused over why a man he’s never met is acting so possessive, Pryor’s urgency to solve the case and get away from Olympus and its ruler intensifies, even as the unruly Emperor starts to grow on him.
Wystan Aurelius finds life on a World Ship dull, until Detective Pryor steps onto his ship, and into his territory.
More concerned with discovering who has stolen missing medical technology, Wystan couldn’t care less about a vanished prince from another planet. At least, not until he sees how invested in the case Pryor is, and realizes how upset he gets when he doesn’t have the Detective’s full attention turned his way, and his way only. Wystan finds himself at a crossroads. Force Pryor to accept him by telling the truth? Or win him over the old-fashioned way?
Wystan’s secrets could unravel everything, but he isn’t the only one hiding things. Pryor’s privy to some classified information could end up turning the entire galaxy for a loop. Together, the two must navigate through their emotions and the seedy underside of Olympus to solve the case before it’s too late, and life, as they both know it, is altered forever.
A Bright Celestial Sea is another book written by Chani Lynn Feener in the same sci-fi universe as Between the Devil and the Sea and A Sea of Endless Light. It does not have a name yet, but I’ll call it IPF-verse since the Intergalactic Police Force is one thing common with the other books. Also, the MCs are IPF detectives with secrets they desperately want to stay buried.
The opening puts us right in the thick of things. From what I could suss out, a member of the Tiberian imperial family, nephew to the Empress, is missing. A critical illness, a top-secret nano-technology, and a classified medical procedure were uncovered. There’s an assassination attempt, and either imperial twins, sons of the Empress, might be involved, but then they were supposed to be dead.
All of this happend in Olympus, which is the world ship of the Vexans.
I spent half the book untangling the convoluted plot. For one, I was confused by all the names that came up. I was audiobooking this, and the Tiberian Imperials had very close-sounding names that I didn’t immediately realize there were several of them.
Roth is the nephew, the party boy wasting Tiberian tax money on lavish shindigs across the galaxy. Rath is his twin and is said to have died at birth or missing (I’m not sure). Ross is the twin most favored by the Empress, so he’s spoiled rotten. Rune is the unwanted, sickly spare.
The world-building was just enough to establish there are world ships, essentially artificial planets, and Olympus is ruled by twin Vexan emperors Wystan and his sister. The two alternately ruled every six months. It seems the Tiberians and Vexans are born in pairs, and this is a key element here.
Also, Vexans have the most beautiful eyes, which are the color of galaxies. The cover grabbed me with the image of Wystan and his eyes.
It helped that I had read the other books, so I was able to piece together the setting. Similarly, we have an IPF team led by Detective Pryor Oro and Inspector Castor (forgot his last name). Immediately, sparks flew as Pryor butted heads with the cocky and shamelessly flirty Wystan, who made it clear he wanted the detective.
Also, Pryor is a Tiberian, and saying the case hits close to home is a gross understatement, as we later discover.
The author was building some delicious antagonistic USTs, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it. I was too busy trying to understand what was going on. This is also the very thing that makes the mystery so compelling. I was in the dark until the bad guy showed his cards.
The second half was full-on squee-tastic BL manga vibes, with my favorite childhood connection trope working its magic. Because Pryor was that abused young boy Wystan wanted to protect once upon a time ago, and adult Pryor is strength, competence, and hurts rolled into one irresistibly gorgeous package.
The detective is still dealing with PTSD and amnesia, and the emperor is that possessive, adoring seme patiently waiting for his hot/cold yet can’t stay away uke, to remember and/or admit they knew each other as children. Meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt to shower the overworked detective with TLCs and assist, a.k.a. insert himself in the investigation whether the detective wants him to or not.
This part tied beautifully with the mystery, giving us an edge-your-seat villain showdown and a slow-clap-worthy takedown of the person who hurt Pryor the most. It was fanfuckingtastic! And so satisfying, especially knowing what Pryor had gone through. It totally made the book for me!
A Bright Celestial Sea is a story of unwanted children, secret identities, and inescapable ties. The “cold open” and figuring out who’s who took some time for me before the story hit its stride. But I’m thrilled I stuck around. Ultimately, It was a rewarding experience.
Overall, a complex mystery and a sweet sci-fi romance between two men who shine the brightest at their most vulnerable.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Celestial Bodies
Artist: Ghost Data feat. Jovani Occomy
Album: The Occulus Occult
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A BRIGHT CELESTIAL SEA: Kindle | Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Taming of a Wolf by C.J. Ravenna
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PROMO BLITZ: Cloudy With A Chance Of Bad Decision by Fae Quin
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REVIEW: Covenant by Cora Rose & Lark Taylor
The Firm: Covenant – Cora Rose & Lark Taylor
The Firm can make any wish come true.
Money. A job promotion. Murder.
Whatever you desire can be yours—for a price.The Firm has ruled St. Dismas for generations. To most, they’re just a myth.
But in truth, they are the last resort of the desperate.I never understood why anyone would go to The Firm. There’s always a price to pay—a price you won’t discover until your request has been granted.
It was a path I swore I’d never walk.
Or so I thought.When my brother is gravely injured, everything changes.
I have no choice but to go to The Firm.
I don’t know what they’ll ask of me, but I’ll give anything to save Jackson.
He has his whole life ahead of him, and I’ll make sure he gets to live it.But when my price comes due, it’s nothing like I expected.
Not drug smuggling or murder. Not the darkness I braced myself for.
No, this is worse.My price is to fulfill someone else’s request.
To give them what they asked for.A marriage.
For anyone else, it may seem simple. But not for me.
Because the man I must marry is my worst enemy.
My rival.
The man I once trusted above all others—until he shattered that trust and threw it back in my face.The idea of pretending to be Matthias’s doting husband for a year is my worst nightmare.
But I won’t do it for me.
I’ll do it for Jackson.
For my brother, I’ll pay the price.Even if it means condemning myself.
The Firm is a very, very promising new series by authors Cora Rose and Lark Taylor, giving us another lovable band of brothers. The Buckingham brothers are billionaires, gorgeous, memorable, and neck-deep in secrets and danger. Insta-faves!
Covenant opens the series with a second chance, arranged marriage romance between childhood friends-turned-enemies-to-lovers.
Wyatt Malone came from the trailer park and managed to build himself up as a top lawyer at a prestigious firm, only for everything to come crashing down when his brother, Jackson, was in a near-fatal accident. Barely affording food, much less physical therapy for Jackson, who lost a leg, he was forced to go to The Firm in a desperate bid to provide for his brother.
The Firm, the secret society ruling St. Dismas, grants requests for a price. They are more urban legend than reality for Wyatt, until that fateful day he made a request and they accepted it in exchange for marrying Matthias Buckingham who needs a husband to claim his inheritance.
Wyatt and Matthias were childhood friends looking forward to spending college together when a betrayal almost cost Wyatt his dream of becoming a lawyer. He never forgave Matt and never saw him again until 10 years later, when Matthias brought the firm Wyatt was working for.
The story is in Wyatt’s POV, with a few chapters in Matthias’s. I don’t encounter many stories where the POV is from the person experiencing bisexual awakening and is the top, so it’s a treat to read Wyatt’s thoughts. His internal dialogues were repetitive at some points, but the writing kept me hooked from start to finish.
As much as I enjoyed the story, I have to admit but as it progressed, we see Wyatt being spectacularly naive and whiney and Matthias’s remarkable selflessness. I low-key thought Wyatt doesn’t deserve Matthias.
The miscommunication trope was somewhat annoying as Matthias clearly wanted to explain his side of the story several times but Wyatt wasn’t ready to listen. I get he hates Matthias for what he thought his childhood friend had done, and being forced to be his husband is a punishment. But is it really?
Meanwhile, our boy Matthias is feeding the underfed Wyatt the most delicious food his chef concocts, housing him in the most sumptuous room, whisking him to a tropical island paradise, a.k.a. spoiling the heck out of the bratty Wyatt, and didn’t even require him to consummate the marriage. Just pretend to be a doting husband for a year.
My low-key thoughts became high-key annoyance at Wyatt when I learned that’s not all Matt was doing for him. Since the beginning, Matt was deeply in love with the oblivious Wyatt and had quietly taken care of him, even sacrificing his soul to the devil, a.k.a. his evil dad, to save his friend, who again had no clue. So I was incredibly pissed at the third arc break-up scene where Wyatt demanded Matt fight harder for them.
The way Matthias’s POV comes in flashbacks makes his connection to Wyatt even more compelling and heightens the mysterious way they fell apart and Matt’s return to Wyatt’s life. Matt’s perspective is angsty and heartbreaking, his loyalty to Wyatt unbreakable, and it made me root so hard for him!
Matt gave Wyatt everything he could, but I think it’s Matt who deserved the world.
Meh at Wyatt aside, his chemistry with Matt is undeniable. From the beginning, their interactions were positively electric, and watching them fall in love was a joy. It even made me forget there was a shoe waiting to drop. When it did, it exploded like a bomb!
The last chapters whiplashed from one shocking reveal after another. Keeping details to a minimum because finding out is the most fun part. That and the tear-jerking groveling from Wyatt tied everything into one hell of an emotional rollercoaster conclusion and the hard-earned happy ending the boys deserve.
Overall, Covenant is a poignant story of friendship, sacrifice, second chances, and awakening, beautifully weaving beloved tropes into a moving narrative, that even with a flawed MC, it’s worth the price!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Dare
Artist: The Mary Onettes
Album: IslandsP.S.
Oooh, the Buckinghams! These boys made my day!
Wylder – the eldest and so very serious. He talked the least and intrigued me the most
Cade – the psychopath. His book is next and the epilogue in Covenant teases us with his pretty twink love interest.
Samson -the grump so I’d love to see him get soft for a sunshiney love interest
Matthias – arrogant, also serious, but really a self-sacrificing cinnamon roll
Dalton – klepto and pervy. He’s a fun character who loves pushing Matty’s buttons
Harley – the spoiled and coddled youngest who’s thirsting after Matty’s chef
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