Review: The Gathering by Jacey Holbrand

Title -- The Gathering

Author -- +Jacey Holbrand 

Publisher – Evernight Publishing

Series – The Glorious Guild of Lady Windsurfer, 1

Genre – Alternative (MM)/Gay, Futuristic, Sci-Fi, Erotic Romance, Steampunk

Heat Level – 3

Word Count – 35, 510

ISBN – 978-1-77233-049-6

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BLURB

The year is 2112, and the world has changed… 

Jake Landry is interested in having some fun. He’s in Las Vegas, newly single and just off his most recent tour of duty. In Vegas he has met up with his old friend Nicola Goodheart, a scientist and inventor who studies portals, other worlds, and strange beings. Jake has also met and become enamored with Alexander, a gorgeous man with violet eyes. Jake goes with Nic on a portal finding mission, and they all end up in Alexander’s alien world. 

Recruiter Alexander Bloodworth is interested in Jake for himself and in Nicola for placement in a pleasure house on his home planet of Aurath. When he hears word one of his people’s enemies are after Nicola and Jake, he goes to save them both, even at the peril of losing his job. 

Will they risk their hopes and dreams—Alexander and Jake for a chance at love and Nicola for her career—or will they falter and lose everything anyway?

Be Warned: m/m sex

Review 

4.5 stars

This is certainly a very different, refreshing read for me. The Gathering is an M/M steampunk futuristic dystopian set in 2112. The first I noticed about the world the author created is that it is actually plausible. The world got so messed up, some things had to go back to the ways of the past, like hirse carriages and relying on steam for power. Yet new technologies were also everywhere in this book. Countries changed not only in politics but in landscape as well. These things made the world in this book come alive for me. The attention to detail is stunning and well thought out. 

The characters are easy to love and relate to. Nicola is a nerdy girl with a n adventurous side. Jake is a heartbroken military man just broken up with his boyfriend and is Nicola's best friend. Alexander an alien who must look for women from other planets for reproduction purposes. He is also gay and loves the fact that his job keeps him away from his father, the Governor, since it is illegal to be with a man in his alien planet. 

When Nicola finds a portal and Jake decides to go with her, Alex joins them in an incredible intergalactic adventure that is sometimes fun, sometimes nail-biting and definitely oozing sexual tension between Alex and Jake. The more adventures these three find, the hotter the book gets. And I mean HOT! 

I loved this book and can't wait for the next one. 

EXCERPT

ADULT Excerpt

“Sounds acceptable to me.” Alexander captured Jake’s mouth in another kiss and the only time he stopped kissing him was to pull Jake’s shirt over his head.

They mimicked each other’s touches—running their hands up each other’s smooth chests, tracing the dips and curves of their muscles, enticing nipples. When Alexander latched onto one of Jake’s hard nubs, Jake sucked in a stream of air. Alexander’s lips on his body were like heaven and hell. Heaven because their silky touch sent delightful vibes through him, and hell because whenever Alexander trailed down toward his pulsing cock, he didn’t take it in his mouth or lick or kiss it.

“Come on, Alexander. Quit teasing me.”

“What do you want me to do? I want to hear it. Tell me.”

Alexander’s rumbling commands sent more heat racing through Jake’s veins and down into his cock. Jake didn’t know his dick could get harder than it already was, but it had. He gazed straight into the alien’s stormy purple eyes. “I want you, Alexander. I want you to take me in that beautiful mouth of yours. I want you to suck me dry.”

The alien rose from the couch and towered over Jake before he dropped to his knees in front of him. Alexander reached out and grabbed the top of Jake’s pants, then yanked them down and off his body. Jake’s cock stood, bobbing to and fro as he resettled on the couch.

“Spread your legs, Jake.”

He did as Alexander demanded, then stared down upon the alien who positioned himself between his thighs and stroked, licked, and kissed his cock and balls. Jake tilted his head back, loving the way Alexander took command of his body, his senses. All the colorful twentieth and other centuries’ artifacts fell from sight. The metallic fragrance of the ship disappeared, replaced by Alexander’s heady musk and leather scent. Slurping and sucking sounds along with Jake’s panting breaths and occasional ahs and fuck yeahs filled the room. Jake closed his eyes to savor the exquisite feel of Alexander’s moist and warm mouth on his length.

“God, Alexander. You’re incredible.” Jake breathed heavily, realizing he truly believed what he’d said. Alexander was wonderful and not just in a sexual capacity. The alien had a caring and compassionate way about him that Jake rarely saw any more in anyone.

Alexander licked his way off his cock, grasped it in a semiclosed fist and pumped his hand as he stared at him. “You like, yes? You have a nice dick for an Earthman.”

“Have you seen many?” Jake wanted to be jealous, but it was hard with Alexander’s soft fondling of his penis.

“I have viewed my share. I am glad I waited to bring someone home until I met you.”

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Jacey Holbrand believes love comes in all forms and should be celebrated. She’s committed to her muse and writing so she can share those kinds of stories with readers. Hot days. Sexy nights. Come play in her world.

Jacey loves to hear from readers! eMail her: JaceyHolbrand@gmail.com

Website – http://jaceyholbrand.wordpress.com

Blog – http://jaceyholbrand.wordpress.com/blog/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JaceyHolbrand

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Spotlight: His Desire by Sheila Kell

How long would it take for him to turn into an ass again? She caught Jesse’s gaze and found herself momentarily mesmerized by his golden-brown eyes. What the hell?

HIS Desire (An H.I.S. novel) is a romantic suspense, stand-alone novel in the H.I.S. series released Nov 5th.

Can Jesse Hamilton, the head of H.I.S., protect his client when his past and his heart have put them both in jeopardy?

Synopsis

When FBI Special Agent Kate Ross is injured in a drive-by shooting, Hamilton Investigation and Security, Inc. (H.I.S.) leader Jesse Hamilton, believing she is the target of a killer seeking revenge against him, pulls the full force of H.I.S. into action to protect her.

Kate doesn’t believe Jesse, the only man to make her seethe one minute and lust after him the next, when he approaches her with a note from the Facilitator stating someone he loved would die shortly, and he knows in his gut it’s Kate. After a second attempt on her life, she can no longer fight his protection or her attraction to him.

After making a mistake that cost his wife her life, Jesse vowed to never love again, but Kate stirs something in him that puts his protective instincts into overdrive. Keeping her alive and out of his heart is more difficult than he expected. Then he makes a decision that could cost Kate her life. Is history due to repeat itself?

Review: Blue Mountain by C. Cardeno

Blue Mountain

By Cardeno C.

Expected publication: November 21st 2014 by The Romance Authors, LLC

Exiled by his pack as a teen, Omega wolf Simon Moorehead learns to bury his gentle nature in the interest of survival. When a hulking, rough-faced Alpha catches Simon on pack territory, he tries to escape what he’s sure will be imminent death. But instead of killing him, the Alpha takes Simon home.

A man of action, Mitch Grant uproots his life to support his brother in leading the Blue Mountain pack. Mitch lives on the periphery, quietly protecting everyone, but always alone. A mate is a dream come true for Mitch, and he won’t let little things like Simon’s rejections, attacks, and insults get in their way. With patience, seduction, and genuine care, Mitch will ride out the storm while Simon slays his own ghosts and Mitch’s loneliness.

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Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/486357?ref=CardenoC

Are: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bluemountain-1654017-340.html?referrer=53b5ae9a0c134

Review 

3.5 stars 

This is my first Cardeno book and I'm sure it won't be the last. I liked how the shifter part of the story was presented, very nicely done without seeming overworked. The story flowed nicely, although I may have skimmed over a few parts. There were some issues with this book for me, like Simon and his past. It is mentioned quite a bit but it never goes into detail and as much as it is mentioned, it also doesn't seem to affect him that much. It's kind of confusing in that sense. 

It's not as much erotic as it romantic, which is kind of surprising for a M/M book. The connection they shared is sweet and sexy, although the actual sexual scenes are more towards the end. Simon's resistance and Mitch's fierce determination made this a great story read in one sitting. 

A great beginner M/M paranormal book. 

As he kicked the last of the dirt over his mother’s grave, bone deep exhaustion nearly brought Simon Moorehead to his knees, but at least he’d delivered his mother home to rest. She had left Blue Mountain for him, and he had returned for her. There was a certain harmony in that, albeit an ironic one. But harmony or not, he had to leave the territory before another welcoming committee was dispatched to greet him. He darted his gaze around the surrounding landscape, looking for a flat rock to pound down the loose earth. Once he found an appropriate stone, he shifted into his human form, lifted it with both hands, and returned to the grave where he used the last of his energy to repeatedly raise and then slam down the rock, packing the soil. “Stop.” Shocked by the deep, rumbling voice, Simon lost his balance and toppled onto his backside. “Who’s there?” He held the stone in front of him like a weapon as he jerked his head from side to side and squinted, trying to see beyond the surrounding trees by the light of the moon. “Relax, little one.” He had his answer—it was a pack member who mistook his size for weakness. Well, Simon would prove him wrong just as he had the others. He’d been banished at age twelve and spent the next thirteen years learning how to take care of himself. Shifters underestimated him because they were led by scent and sight and refused to look beneath the surface. They didn’t expect an Omega to fight or disobey. But Simon had learned to act as strong as any Alpha. And if rejecting his true nature meant his soul suffered and withered, ultimately leading him to the same demise as his mother, so be it. “Show yourself,” he demanded as he stood. The direction of the wind changed, and Simon caught scent of the other shifter before he saw him. Alpha. The urge to bare his neck and roll over hit him deep in the gut. Forcing himself to ignore it, he mentally recited his mantra: Never show weakness. Stay in charge of every situation. Don’t back down. He wouldn’t be a slave to reactions he couldn’t control. He was better than that, stronger than that. Then the biggest man he had ever seen stepped into the clearing. Broad was an understatement in describing his shoulders. He was almost twice as wide as Simon and well over half a foot taller. “Drop the rock,” he said, piercing Simon with black eyes. Grateful for the reminder that he could use the tool as a weapon, Simon ignored the wetness dripping along his forearm, raised the rock above his head, and said, “Back away.” A growl was Simon’s only warning before the Alpha grabbed his wrist and forced him to release his hold on the stone. “Let me go!” Simon tried to yank his arm away from the powerful grip but strained his shoulder instead. He’d never come across anyone so large and powerful. The timing was terrible because Simon was already running on fumes, worn down soul-deep, but he gathered whatever energy he had left and tried to fight. “You’ve injured yourself.” The Alpha clasped Simon’s hip with his free hand, further impeding his movement. “Stop.” Grunting in denial, Simon struggled to get free. His backpack was a thirty minute hike away at the campsite. If he could shift and get there, he’d have his supplies and enough cash to get out of the Blue Mountain territory. “Let me go, and I’ll leave,” he said. Then, his gut rebelling at the possibility the Alpha would consider that a concession on his part, he added, “Like I told the men you sent, I have no intention of staying here.” He wriggled. “Let me go.” “I sent nobody.” The Alpha’s voice was deep and rough, like his face. “Be still.” With a grip just shy of painful, he raised Simon’s hand, leaned forward, and nostrils flaring, he inhaled deeply. “Males can be Omegas,” Simon resentfully answered the inevitable question. “It doesn’t make us weak.” “Not weak.” Bottomless black eyes peered at him as the Alpha shocked him to his core by parting his lips and licking his palm. “Mine.” Involuntarily, Simon trembled. The Alpha wanted blood—more blood than he was getting by lapping at Simon’s wounded hand, which meant he was feral, his animal half overrunning his human half and driving him to kill. When the giant leaned forward, going for his jugular, Simon delivered a well-placed kick to the groin and then went limp, making himself dead weight. The strategy worked—the Alpha lost his grip and Simon toppled to the ground. Before his attacker could react, he scurried out of reach, shifted into his wolf, and ran. Simon wasn’t a big wolf, but he was fast and he had a lifetime of experience evading other shifters. He ignored the instinct pulling at him to roll over and show his belly and wove around the trees at a breakneck pace, planning to do exactly what he’d done thirteen years earlier: take his meager belongings and escape from the Blue Mountain Alpha. But then a roar shook the very air around him, a big body knocked him to the ground, and teeth dug into his nape. Without breaking his skin, the Alpha shook him like a lamb and growled. Human words weren’t needed for the message to come through loud and clear: submit. It wouldn’t happen. If Simon was going down, he’d do it fighting and inflicting as much damage as possible along the way. He kicked and bit, clawed and smacked, never getting free but occasionally hearing pained yips and eventually smelling copper. As the scent of the Alpha’s blood permeated his entire being, Simon twisted in knots, waging an internal war between the cell-deep instinct to bare his throat to the wolf above him and the well-honed habit to fight and get free. When the world began darkening, he was less sad about the loss of his life than he was thankful for the reprieve from the battles—both external and internal. At least he’d be laid to rest with his mother.

Cardeno C. – CC to friends – is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few “awwws” into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.

Cardeno’s Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, “You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day.”

Website: http://www.cardenoc.com/index.php#.U-Js0Tg-671

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CardenoC?fref=ts

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CardenoC/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CardenoC

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cardenoC/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4620386.Cardeno_C_

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Review: FLAWED by Francette Phal

Blood.

That's the only memory he carries from a childhood he does not remember. And now it is all he knows. Blood is his life.

Knox Bishop has done a lot of horrible things, all at the command of the man who holds his leash. It's a matter of loyalty for him. Allegiance to the man who saved his life when he was a child. So he goes where he is needed and does what he is told. He tortures. He kills. He kills. He tortures. It is an unrelenting cycle that he constantly craves and can never quite satisfy.

Until her.

Eighteen year old Lacey Barnes distributes her assets to fund her dreams. Medical school is the end game and she is determined to get there by any means necessary. But a family member's careless mistake derails her plans and now she must pay a price in order to save him.

She goes to Knox willingly offering him the only valuable thing she has. Herself. In doing so he allows her into his world, a world filled with darkness but rather than being scared it intrigues her. It lures her, calls to something in her that she hadn't known existed until he awakened it.

Every bit of his flaws is reflected in her and Knox will do anything to keep her in the darkness with him.

 

I'm not even sure where to begin with this one.... 
I was completely enraptured by this book and honestly, I was kind of worried what that said about me. I MUST warn you, if you are even remotely squeamish then don't even open this book. Not even the first page. If blood and gore bother you, just don't. Stay away. 
Flawed is not a pretty, bad-boy-turned-good romance. 
Lacey is a high school senior. And she's a prostitute. As twisted as this may sound, the author delivered this situation in a way that Lacey evoked compassion. I couldn't help but be awed by how this girl had endured so much, went through so much on a daily basis and she still kept her goal in mind to go to medical school. She wanted a better life and was willing to do anything for that. She also knew she had nothing else but her mother and brother, and those two were living off Lacey so basically she was screwed. 
When her brother makes yet another mistake, Lacey has to bail him out. The price was way too high, but she gives herself up to Knox, the sociopath with serial killer tendencies I grew to love in this book. ( Don't judge ). Knox is a very complex character, yet at the same time, he is so simple. He is empty, devoid of basic human emotions. He thirsts for blood and gore. And his sights are set on Lacey. After he discovers her reaction to his torture, she weaves her way into his lifeless soul and although he sees her as his possession, we get these tiny little peeks into his background and what could very well be emotions towards Lacey. 
There are so many twists in this dark story, it was impossible to put down. Some were huge, some were small and passed over like a random thought, but they gave so much insight it was hard to not focus on them as well. 
So why 4 stars? First of all, the mother of all cliffhangers. And no next book in sight yet. Then there were some minor inconsistencies in the event timeline, nothing major but still noticeable. 

Overall, a very dark, erotic and disturbing read apt for the dark erotica lovers. 

Knox

I’m not what you would call normal. The word has no meaning to me. But I’ve been pretending to act normal. It’s something I’ve been practicing since I’ve been aware of the thrum and its significance in my life. I was seven when I first heard the lullaby. Second grade, just before recess. It happened in a squall. Nothing and then all at once. I remember everything about that day. The bell rang and the other children went to play. Not me. Never me. I always stayed behind, mostly by choice, but never contested because the other children thought I was weird. I think maybe they unconsciously knew that I was lacking something fundamental. Something they all had and I didn’t, and maybe even never had at all. Whatever it was, I was alienated, excluded from their games. But I couldn’t say it bothered me. I was indifferent to it. Katia would sometimes play with me. Yuri’s youngest daughter, my adoptive sister, kept me company when she wasn’t with her own friends. But she’d been home sick that day.

In the small classroom with its oversized, rainbow-colored letters hanging over the chalkboard and tiled number blocks littering the carpeted floor, I sat in the beanbag chair staring fixatedly at the class pet. Sweet Ms. Devon always stayed with me but she’d left for a moment. A moment to heat her lunch. A moment to speak to a fellow staff member in the teachers’ lounge. But it’d been a moment too long for me. The noise in my head had been too loud. The urge too strong. The pink-eyed little rabbit, Mr. Apples, and the yellow pair of scissors sitting blades down in Ms. Devon’s “Best Teacher” mug had been too much of a temptation for me to resist.

The pounding of my heart. The lullaby and the thrum. The latch had given way beneath my shaking fingers, soaked with apprehension and anticipation. The struggle. The frantic movement of something living, something warm, with the same accelerated heartbeat as mine grappling for life. Desperate for freedom even while knowing the inevitable hand of death loomed was intoxicating. The thrill, the excitement, the sweet seductive power. I swam in it. Like too much candy on Halloween. Too much ice cream in the summer. It had been a quick death for Mr. Apples. It had been crude. Amateurish. But ever so effective in quieting the discord of my mind.

Poor, sweet Ms. Devon came to find me on the floor of the overly-bright classroom. Huddled on the floor, covered in Mr. Apples. She’d been one to smile a lot. But I stole her smile that day and replaced it with horror instead. Her pretty features contorted like a Kabuki mask.

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Francette lives in Massachusetts with her amazingly supportive husband of ten years and her darling two year old son. Reading amazing books has led her to writing and she’s dabbled in fan-fiction before self-publishing her own works. She’s constantly thinking up new stories to write and does her best work when music is playing in the background. Romance is where she’s most comfortable but she hopes to one day venture in mystery novels. She has a weakness for coffee ice cream, tropical fruits and a good glass of wine.

Review: Til Death by Bella Jewel

Title: 'Til Death: Volume One

Series: 'Til Death #1

Author: Bella Jewel

 Release Date: November 25, 2014

Synopsis

They say there's a fine line between love and hate.

There is.

I married a douchebag.

I didn't know it at the time.

He came in like a handsome stranger and blew me off my feet.

I fell madly in love, like the naive girl I am.

Then he left me high and dry.

Turns out, I was nothing more than a business plan for billionaire playboy, Marcus Tandem.

He needed to be married in order to obtain his grandfathers business, and I was the poor victim in his path.

I believed in what we had, until the truth reared its ugly head.

I never meant anything to Marcus. Not a damned thing.

With my world spinning on its axis, the girl I once was has long since died.

Instead he left me as this empty, emotionless shell.

I may have made a vow before God to love and cherish him ‘Til Death do we part, but it’s time for me to give back to Marcus, exactly what he gave me.

He has to pay.

And pay he will.

*This is part of a two book series and it will contain a HEA – Readers over 18+

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Links to Buy

AMAZON US / UK / AU

B&N / KOBO / iTUNES

Review

4.5 stars 

I think I held my e-reader for more than 10 minutes just staring at the screen when I finished this book. I was thinking "There has to be something wrong with this, there is no way she could leave me hanging like this.... "  Sigh ... 

How do I even begin explaining this book, after it slowly built me up , made me  feel things, and then gutted me only to leave me like that. Now I have to WAIT for the second book. Not cool , Bella Jewel. Seriously, this ending ( well, cliffhanger ) turned my heart upside down. 

Let me take you back from the beginning. 

When we first meet Katia, she is a hard working girl struggling to make ends meet for her sick mother. She doesn't have much time for a love life. Cue rugged, handsome rich guy to the rescue: Marcus. 

Marcus has his own agenda, though. He needs a wife that will stay married to him for at least two years. Inmediately or else he doesn't inherit his grandfather's ginormous and shady company. He redefines the term douchebag. He doesn't care about his new wife, Katia or how she feels. Doesn't care she is completely in love with him. Doesn't care she WILL get hurt. 

And when she finally does get heartbroken, it is truly devastating to read. 

How did we get from point A to B? Read it. 

Overall:

 This book has great main characters, very well developed. The plot is thick with tension but so delicious I devoured this book in a matter of hours. 

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Author Bio

Bella Jewel is a self published, USA Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013 she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her writing career, planning many new releases for the future.

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