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AUDIO TOUR: The Brawl King by Kashel Char (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BLOG TOUR: Skythane by J. Scott Coatsworth (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BOOK BLAST: Fall of the Pathfinder by L.C. Lowe (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved by an Alien by Chloe Archer
Tentacular Tales: It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved by an Alien – Chloe Archer
A sexy alien living incognito on Earth meets a sci-fi loving nerd who wants to rock his universe. What could possibly go wrong? Besides the unexpected tentacles and the accidental Mating Courtship Ritual, that is….
RIVER SULLIVAN
As a bona fide sci-fi nerd and total X-phile—the truth is out there—I’ve always believed in aliens. Duh. But I never thought I’d actually find them on Earth–let alone right here in Las Vegas! Now I’ve stumbled onto a big freakin’ secret and found my very own hot AF alien. I’m head over heels, but he’s being a total grump and holding back. How do I make him realize a geeky sunshine guy like me is just what he needs in his life? Did I mention he also has tentacles?!?! #HolyHentaiFantasyBatman #SwoonworthyAlien #SignMeUpSugar #MakeItSo #VivaLasVegas
KAI GENARO
The last thing I need in my life is a chatterbox twink who’s determined to woo me and could expose the secret existence of aliens on Earth to all humankind. Everything about him annoys me, including his stupidly attractive halo of golden curls and his bright green ‘come hither’ eyes. To make matters worse, he’s been recruited to work for the alien Alliance on Earth, and I’m assigned to keep him out of trouble. I don’t care how attractive he is. I don’t date humans! Except, my tentacles may have accidentally started the Mating Courtship Ritual with him…
It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved by an Alien (Tentacular Tales #1) is a (102,000 words) M/M sci-fi rom com featuring an adorkable twink with unexpected secrets and a slight obsession with extraterrestrials, the reluctant alien he wants to make his boo, tentacles with a mind of their own, zany extraterrestrial shenanigans in Sin City, and enough humor to fill an entire spaceship. This is the first book in the series. There is no cheating, and this book ends with a HFN. Never fear, the series guarantees readers an HEA by the end!
The truth is out there, and they come with tentacles! You know what this means…
River Sullivan, sci-fi nerd, and hyper-energized twink, came face to face with his hentai fantasy in this hilarious sci-fi romance, It’s Not Unusual To Be Love By An Alien. So of course, he pretty much threw himself at it.
Captain Kai Genaro of the alien alliance secretly located on earth didn’t know what to do with the strange human whose memory he couldn’t erase. He even busted out his tentacles to perform the most powerful mind-erasing technique in his arsenal, but River seemed to be immune even to that. Unbeknownst to both, this kicked off the Mating Courtship Ritual.
The story is in alternate POVs of River and Kai. As an aspiring writer, River’s chapters open with excerpts from his ultra-smutty sci-fi serial about a dashing hero and his temptingly tentacular arch-nemesis. He posts this on his blog, not really expecting many people would bother with it. Guess who reads his porn.
Kai’s chapters opens with informative instructions on his species’ Mating Courtship Ritual, which amused me so much because the grumpy dork is unwittingly performing each step while valiantly fighting his insane attraction to the captivating human. It didn’t help that River was mercilessly flirting with him. And conniving with Kai’s smarmy brother to make him jealous.
Kai is my favorite character. A well-respected leader and the best mind eraser of the alliance, he can be brusque and grumpy at first. He put up quite a fight, but River is an unstoppable force. When he became honest about his feelings and got his shit together, he turned out to be a sweet alien boyfriend. And he’s cute when he’s flustered or when River makes him smile or laugh.
River I had to get use to. The humor here reminds me of Alice Winters, like River being sooo extra everything. I found his non-stop blabbering exhausting, I nearly stopped reading. But later on, I did warm up to him. Especially when he showed how creatively he could handle alien/human crises. What I liked best about River is that instead of freaking out about alien existence, he not only embraced the whole thing, but became one with it.
While the main storyline is the hella adorable courtship between River and Kai, there’s a mini-mystery regarding River’s identity. Also, they are working on the case of aliens being drugged. And there’s a potentially yummy romance between River’s super laidback Uncle Benji and Kai’s charming brother, Mal.
The plot is mostly humor, family and alien interactions, and surprisingly, littler-than-expected tentacular shenanigans. The slow burn is preferable for me because the fun is in the courtship and the USTs they generate. Also, River might be flirty AF, but our boy is not giving up his ass until the captain gets his in gear. Attaboy!
It also has a stellar supporting cast, starting with the chibi but feisty Evan, River’s BFF, Kai’s parents who were opposites in personality yet madly in love, Uncle Benji, who looks like Keanu Reeves, and vibes like The Dude in The Big Lebowski, and Mal, Kai’s brother who I hope gets his own book with Uncle Benji. And yes, Mr. Tom Jones.
The author made the perfect choice in the narrator Greg Boudreaux. This story is the kind of crazy mayhem he excels. Even with a spaceship full of cast, he made each personality shine and emoted the heck out of everyone. I recommend audiobooking this.
It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved By An Alien is a silly little tale of a smitten alien’s ridiculously awkward yet adorably sweet wooing of a human, and one sci-fi nerd’s dream coming true in more ways than he expected. Overall, a sassy, snarky, and swoony alien romance that’s certainly more than the sum of its tentacles!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Alien Boyfriend
Artist: Gregory Dillon
Album:
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It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved by an Alien: US | UK
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BLOG TOUR: The Alien Infiltrator by Eryn Ivers (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: The Emperor’s Bone Palace by Hailey Turner
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RELEASE BLITZ: Can’t Help Falling In Love With An Alien by Chloe Archer (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Why the Devil Stalks Death by L.J. Hayward
Death and the Devil: Why the Devil Stalks Death – L.J. Hayward
Jack Reardon uncovers secrets for a living, and the Meta-State spy is pretty good at it. Or rather he thought so until he met Ethan Blade—assassin, warrior, enigma. The unlikely pair have decided to give living together a shot, but Jack’s not entirely certain what he’s gotten himself into—or exactly who he’s in it with.
Jack’s worries are compounded when he’s assigned to a police strike force hunting a serial killer. With each new puzzle piece, Jack considers the true nature of a serial killer—and how similar it is to an assassin. To one particular assassin who’s having trouble adjusting to retirement. Jack’s unsure how to help Ethan—or if he even can.
When the killer strikes close to home, Jack must race against the clock to stop another murder, despite the price someone has put on his head. Could the matters be connected? Is a certain assassin at the centre of both? Surrounded by killers, the only one Jack wants near disappears, leaving Jack drowning in secrets. He’ll have to do what he does best—unravel the secrets, including Ethan’s—to stop the killer and save the life he and Ethan have only just begun to build.
**Content Warning**
Child abuse and child sexual abuse in a character’s history and not depicted directly on the page.
Back in 2018, the Death and the Devil series exploded in the MM romance scene in the most epic way, bringing us one of the most beloved characters of the genre. The cinnamon roll assassin, Ethan Blade.
I love his character so much. I vowed to name my firstborn after him. I even got goosebumps just anticipating the next installments’ releases. I also promised myself to patiently wait for the audiobooks no matter how long it took just for the sheer pleasure of hearing his character speak.
And here we are, finally, with the complete audiobooks!!!
With a magnificent opener in Where Death Meets the Devil, my expectations of Why the Devil Stalks Death were sky-high, so the last thing I expected was to be…bored. Because it pains me greatly to admit it wasn’t the riveting one-sitter I wanted it to be.
This is because of how the story was written. In keeping with the 1st book’s style, the chapters alternated between past and present events, labeled “Before” and “After”. It made things pretty convoluted instead of suspenseful. The serial killer plot is better served by linear storytelling, which should trim down some of the more drawn-out drama.
But our boys are still their gloriously flawed selves, navigating a fragile relationship built on a connection that managed to be both tenuous and deep. Jack, from whom most of the story is told so far, is human enough to be affected by an ex-hookup-turned-co-worker’s incessant flirting but remains staunchly loyal to a difficult and all-too-frequently absent boyfriend.
Just like in the first book, Ethan comes and goes. His appearances are marked by mysterious bruises he refuses to tell Jack where he got them. The man has always been an enigma to all. Most of the things Jack, and us readers, know about the assassin are gathered from meager crumbs thrown our way. So I’m thrilled to see major reveals on his past here. I’m also sad, but not surprised, to learn it involved child abuse and bullying.
Ethan’s character development comes from his involvement with Jack. While I speak of Jack being human as him being vulnerable and hurting (being an ass, really), cold and deadly Ethan being human is him being this completely endearing child-like creature who adores animals, reads action thrillers, wears socks to bed, names his cars after women and goes to zen mode when driving at ridiculously fast speeds. Ethan being human is a bomb detonating inside Jack’s chest. I was blown into smithereens right there with him!
Why the Devil Stalks Death brought Jack and Ethan closer in more ways than one in a complicated web of secrets, sex, serial murders, espionage and siblings. The storytelling might be confusing but the book packed enough intrigue, sizzle, and danger to carry me over this hurdle into that spectacular third arc! It’s all bullets, knives, car stunts, edge-of-your seat assassin vs. assassin action in a fucked up family reunion of killers. I live for every death-defying moment of it!
And our boys are at a happier place. For now. We’ll see what havoc the 3rd book brings. And I stand by this, Death and the Devil is the next mega-blockbuster action franchise, if only Hollywood has the balls to bring it to screen!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Chaos
Artist: Mutemath
Album: MutemathP.S.
Death and the Devil should be read in order. Find out why I love Ethan Blade so much I’ll name my progeny after him in Book 1, Where Death Meets the Devil. Gushy review here.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Death and the Devil. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
You can also use my Bookshop affiliate links to buy paperbacks and MP3 CD audiobooks and help support independent bookstores.
WHERE DEATH MEETS THE DEVIL
WHY THE DEVIL STALKS DEATH
WHEN DEATH FREES THE DEVIL
NOVELLASIf 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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BLOG TOUR: Rembrandt’s Station by Christie Meierz (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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BOOK TOUR: Mythical Desires by M.L. Eaden (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)
