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RELEASE BLITZ: Fractured Mind by Matthew Dante (Excerpt)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Fractured Love by Matthew Dante (Excerpt)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Ira by Leigh Kenzie (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: How To Elude A Vampire by Alice Winters
VRC: Vampire Related Crimes: How To Elude A Vampire – Alice Winters
Finn
When the vampire stalking me sent me a letter, I was prepared for my new life with the man I love to get thrown into chaos. But as the days stretch on and nothing happens, I become determined not to allow that monster to rule my life, and decide that Marcus and I will move on. We can’t always allow the past to haunt us. If that includes pestering Marcus and harassing my fellow detectives, they’d better learn to love it, because I’m not going anywhere even if they like to remind me I’m the only human working in a department filled with vampires. But Marcus loves me for who I am, even if he’s not crazy about the cute pet names I call him like McBitey. Being with him is more than I could have dreamed, and even with the trials thrown in our way, he never fails to make me smile.Marcus
When Finn joined the VRC, I never expected how everything would change. Now that he’s the brightest part of my days, I’m unsure of how I existed without him. Before Finn and I can settle into our new life together, we’re called in as lead detectives when a body is found in the river, and the case soon hits closer to home than we anticipated. I want to be by Finn’s side to keep him safe, but at the same time, Finn’s fighting for the freedom he’s always wanted after being forced to live a life of fear. What I do know is that my future is with Finn, no matter what happens.How to Elude a Vampire is the second in the VRC series and contains a display of manly prowess that doesn’t go as desired, reluctant bonding with a new pet, interfering with a snarky Russian’s love life, misuse of office supplies, a vampire with a killer fashion sense but very little game, a total lack of ancient kung fu powers, a feisty human who almost always gets his way and the possessive vampire who adores him.
How To Vex A Vampire left us with a huge cliffhanger. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, I got too excited about the second book and read the reviews. I learned the name of Finn’s stalker is Dollmaker.
HUGE clue right there.
So I spent the sequel anticipating the big reveal because I knew I was right.
I was!
Far from feeling that the book was predictable, I was actually enjoying it more because knowing this guy was close to Finn most of his life only made it more sinister. Mostly, I wanted to see how it would play out.
How To Elude A Vampire picks up six months after the events in the first book. Marcus and Finn are happy and have everything they need excerpt for that looming threat. They are now staying with Finn’s father, Orin, because his house is the most secure. Or so they thought.
A series of murders connected to the Dollmaker, attacks right inside Orin’s house, more warnings from the stalker to quit the VRC, and overly protective vampires drove Finn up the wall. He’s tired of living in fear and feeling controlled.
Nightmares that were actually memories revealed past events that led to Finn losing his arm and leg. We finally learn about Finn’s past as well as the history of vampires.
I loved how the vampires rally to protect Finn. My boy Karsyn grumps his way through the book but you could tell he’ll die for his human friend if needed. There’s a great addition of Claude, Marcus’s outrageously dressed, outrageously flirty, surprisingly smart brother, who latched on to a certain snarky Russian vampire. These two!!!
And we have Marcus. I have a better appreciation of Marcus here because six month earlier, he would have wrinkled his nose at the mere thought of interacting with humans. Now, this big bad vampire is so completely head over heels over his tiny human that he’s willing to make a fool of himself just to make him laugh. Witness another Date. Also, a lot of adorable mushy stuff.
Marcus trying to impress Finn ♡ (≧◡≦) !!!
With Finn and Marcus as an establish couple, the primary focus was the mystery. There were several nicely deployed plot twists that I didn’t see coming. There’s still a lot of snark and gags that were sometimes repetitive. There were many scenes where they completely ignored the pressing issue at hand just to exchange snarks. However, the plot moved at a fast pace and laid out Finn’s troubles in a way that kept me consistently engaged.
The build-up, the showdown and the comeuppance played out quick but intensely suspenseful. All throughout the scene, I was at the edge of my seat wondering how Finn is going make it out of there alive. But the man is smart and resourceful and resilient as fuck. That and Marcus.
How To Elude A Vampire gives us a happy end to Finn’s stalker woes. I kind of wish Finn was turned into a vampire just so he wouldn’t be injured so easily (and spare Marcus the agony of seeing the love of his life live die of old age while he gets to live forever <– my main issue with human + vampire couples) but that epilogue was super sweet.
I’m glad the author did not drag this stalker business out for several more books. I felt as relieved as Finn and just as ready to move on to happier matters.
Namely, Karsyn and Claude.
P.S.
The VRC books are not standalones and should be read in order. Witness how a short, sassy human charmed a grumpy, confident, 300-year old vampire into the best worst date ever in How To Vex A Vampire. Review here.
Posts on Alice Winters books here.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Treat Me Like A Doll
Artist: Girls Rituals
Album: Reddishness
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KINDLE AUDIOBOOK -
RELEASE BLITZ: Tradimento by Leigh Kenzie (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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You look like you could do with a friend she said
You look like you could use a hand
Someone to make you smile she said
Someone who can understand
Share your trouble
Comfort you
Hold you close
And I can do all of these
I think you need me here with you
You look like you do with a sister she said
You look like you need a girl to call your ownLike fabulous! fabulous!
Call me fabulous!
And rubbing her hands so slow
You stare at me all strange she said
Are you hungry for more?
I’ve had enough I said
Please leave me alone
Please goIt doesn’t touch me at all
It doesn’t touch me at allYou know that you could do with a friend she said
You know that you could use a word
Like feel or follow or fuck she said
And laughing away as she turned
You’ve everything but no-one
Like the last man on earth
And when I die I said
I’ll leave you it all
Door closes
Leaves me coldIt doesn’t touch me at all
It doesn’t touch me at allYou really do need a sister she said
You really do need a girl to call your ownLike wonderful! wonderful!
Call me wonderful!
And running her hands so slow
You stare at me all strange she said
Are you hungry for more?
I’ve had enough I said
Please leave me alone
Please go
Please go -
REVIEW: Captivated by Brittany Cournoyer
Out of Darkness: Captivated – Brittany Cournoyer
Ethan Fletcher’s a rising star in the modeling industry, and after landing an ad on a billboard, things were looking up for him. From the outside looking in, he was living his best possible life. No one knows the struggles Ethan faced, or that every night he removed the carefully constructed mask he had to slip on just to face the outside world. However, the camera wasn’t the only thing in love with Ethan’s face.
When the gifts started to arrive, they seemed innocent enough. But, the attention from the fan who called himself The Suitor had Ethan on edge, and when someone important in Ethan’s life goes missing, he knows it’s no coincidence. Receiving no help from the local police, Ethan seeks comfort from a very unlikely source. Together, they find themselves in a race against time to catch The Suitor before Ethan becomes his next victim.
Captivated is book 1 in the Out of Darkness series. It talks about stalking, kidnapping, murder, and mental illness. Captivated ends with a happy for now and is a continuing series. This book is an extremely slow burn with a romance that progresses throughout the series.
Captivated is a story of an all-consuming obsession that tortured, maimed and killed.
Ethan Fletcher is a model who is so beautiful he mesmerized the enigmatic and very disturbed individual simply known as The Suitor. Very little is known of the man apart from the fact that he owns a cyber security company, is devoted to his cat and loves to woo men with expensive gifts.
He tried the same method with Ethan. However, Ethan was not the type to be wowed by expensive shoes. Because The Suitor was not the type to take rejection easily, he started taking drastic measures with tragic results.
At first, I thought, hey, maybe this Suitor guy had some redeeming qualities and he will end up with Ethan like one of those Criminal Delights stories.
I couldn’t be more wrong.
The man was pure evil. Nobody could forgive what he did to poor B, just because B did Ethan a favor.
Ethan is a model attempting to break into acting. He doesn’t do well with crowds and has social anxiety. Ethan loves working on his puzzles to calm his nerves. The model is a lonely man whose only friend was his agent, Beatrice a.k.a. B. Later on, Ethan discovered he had a friend in X, another model B handles and who he did not get along with at first.
My heart went out to Ethan. Bad enough he had to deal with anxieties, now he has a crazy man out to get him. On top of that, the police was not be taking the model seriously. The only person who actually seemed to care was X.
X had some surprises of his own, starting with the mystery of why he prefers to be called X. He liked helping Ethan with his puzzles and introduced him to his own version of grilled cheese sandwich. He was a solid guy who used his considerable pull to make the police move their damn asses and start doing something about Ethan’s case.
There is no romance in the story. I’m kind of hoping the author would make Ethan aro and/or ace, but as per blurb, the romance in the series is extremely slow-paced. And from here on out, I’m rooting for an Ethan+X merger.
The writing felt simultaneously slow and fast. The character progression and developments came slowly but the tension was tight and had me on full on suspense mode which made things go quickly. The book presented both Ethan’s and The Suitor’s POVs which made it even more creepy.
The ending resolved enough threads to give a satisfying conclusion. The Suitor was named. Ethan had the help he needed. He and X had an appointment with grilled cheese sandwiches. It also left teasers hinting The Suitor has more gifts to send. I cannot wait for the next one. I’m also dreading it.
This is my first Brittany Cournoyer and certainly won’t be the last. She did a great job creating a gripping thriller that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s a chilling portrait of what stalkers will do to get the object of their desire. Recommended if you like dark, depraved bastards with offers one cannot refuse and bright, beautiful men who dared to say no.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Gonna Get Close to You
Artist: Dalbello
Album: whomanfoursays -
REVIEW: Devil Next Door by Alex Jane
Criminal Delights: Obsession: Devil Next Door – Alex Jane
All Remy Harker wants is a fresh start.
Well, maybe that’s what he tells himself as he rolls up to his nice new house, in the nice little neighborhood, in a town where nobody knows his name.
He’s surrounded by friendly neighbors and a white picket fence. The ugly pink carpet might drive him to insanity, and he can’t stop wondering where the old lady who lived there before him died—but it’s nice.
And if he puts his mind to it, he can be anything—or anyone—he wants to be. He can be nice too.
At least, he thinks he can until he lays eyes on his next-door neighbor.Luke Boucher is nice.
And quiet.
And perfect.It doesn’t take long for Remy to insinuate himself into Luke’s life. A camera here, a break-in there.
– It’s not really stalking if you love someone, is it? –But when Remy’s plan to make a good impression goes to hell, he ends up over his head in more ways than one. Then things aren’t quite so nice anymore.
– It’s not really murder if you love someone, is it? –Loving your neighbor isn’t so easy when you’re the devil next door.
*****
This book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance.
Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted.
This has the makings of a truly dark romance. Twisted, bloody and psychopathic.
But it lacked a certain oomph.
The oomph being Remy and Luke making it to my favorites list.
Remy and Luke, being what they are, could have easily made it but they didn’t quite have the intensity of fan favorites, Lecter and Graham. They were good though, I give them that.
The book started normal enough, mundane even as Remy goes about his business setting up his house, installing surveillance equipment, taking notes, and following Luke around. Remy was meticulous and careful but was completely caught off guard when Luke broke his pattern. The mystery of why Remy thought Luke was ‘the one’ had me on the edge of my seat. At the same time, since the story was all about pushing boundaries, I already have an inkling of what Luke really was (because what else would he be short of a homo Humbert Humbert) but, still, it didn’t detract from the pleasure of the big reveal.
From then on, the story plunged even deeper into macabre territories. It wisely veered away from the gratuitous, providing only enough blood and gore to get that taboo aspect going but not too much to be considered full-on horror. But maybe, YMMV. Remy’s talent for research and surveillance worked in perfect tandem with Luke’s proclivities and their partnership and romance are major goals if it weren’t for the fact they get off at things that disturb most of us. Despite the gruesomeness of the events, you cannot help but root for these two men who were simply made for each other.
All in all, Devil Next Door is a total yandere. Creepily kind, unnaturally patient and unfailingly polite until they flip the switch and suddenly you’re staring into the eyes of a ‘ferocious angel draped in bloody violence‘. It is completely unhinged and I loved it.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Neighbor Boy
Artist: Andrea Marie
Album: Here Begin
