Under a Blue Moon by Bru Baker ~ Audio Review

Bru Baker - Under A Blue Moon Audio Cover 016d2pTitle: Under a Blue Moon

Series: Camp H.O.W.L 02 / Dreamspun Beyond 22

Author: Bru Baker

Narrator: Dorian Bane

Genre: Paranormal, Shape shifters

Length: 6 hrs, 40 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (26th October 2018)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: đź’–đź’–đź’–đź’–đź’– 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Once in a blue moon, opposites find they’re a perfect match.

Nick Perry is tired of helping people with their marriages, so when a spot opens up to work with teens at Camp H.O.W.L., he jumps at it. He doesn’t expect to fall in lust with the dreamy new camp doctor, Drew Welch. But Drew is human, and Nick has seen secrets ruin too many relationships to think a human/werewolf romance can go anywhere.

Happy-go-lucky Drew may not sprout claws, but he’s been part of the were community all his life. He has no trouble fitting in at the camp – except for Nick’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the growing attraction between them and his ridiculous stance on dating humans.

Fate intervenes when one of Drew’s private-practice patients threatens his life. Will the close call help Nick see a connection like theirs isn’t something of which to let go?

Purchase Link: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review: Under a Blue Moon is the second book in Bru Baker’s Camp H.O.W.L series for Dreamspun Beyond. To be perfectly honest, I remember that I’ve read the first three books in the series when they came out, but when it came to the audio all I could remember was the basic premise of the series and that I enjoyed the books. Regardless, I’m always keen to rediscover books in audio form as I feel I get details that I missed in reading and often a wonderful narrator makes the audio better than reading the book. This is a series that I recommend listening to (or reading) in order, because while they are mostly standalone books, there are a number of references to previous instalments that may be tricky for the more detail orientated people.

The book was narrated by the always wonderful Dorian Bane. I love the tone he brings to the books he performs and really has a way of getting the characters just right. His deep, husky voice is one that I find absolutely perfect for paranormal/shape shifter romances. Under a Blue Moon was no exception.

The series surrounds the lives of the doctors/counselors who work at Camp H.O.W.L as they do the work they love, protecting the young wolflings who are going through their first and very traumatic shift in a summer camp type of setting and somehow finding love while undoubtedly fighting the mating bonds that are forming almost every step of the way.

Under a Blue Moon starts with Nick, a counsellor who wants to get out of private practice and kids going through the Turn. Then there is Drew. He is a medical doctor – a human raised by his human mother and wolf stepfather, surrounded by his three wolf step brothers. The guys meet each other on the way to camp and things get hot and heavy – and at this point they don’t even realize that they are travelling to the same place, let alone going to be work colleagues. I don’t want to go into things too much, I don’t want to completely spoil the plot, but Nick finds it hard to reconcile that he has a mate bond with a human, and that being human doesn’t mean that Drew can’t survive life with wolves.

As I said earlier, a common theme in both book 1 and 2 is that at least one of the men in the romantic pair tries his best to ignore the mate bond and push away his prospective mate. I find that trope a little frustrating at times, but in my opinion, it worked well for this story. Meanwhile, I loved Drew and his family. Drew is a wonderfully relatable character – fearless and smart as a whip.
If you loved the first book or shape shifter romances, you’ll no doubt love this.

Stealing His Heart by Bru Baker Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway!

Bru Baker - Stealing His Heart Banner

Hi guys! We have Bru Baker stopping by today with her upcoming release Stealing His Heart, we have a brilliant guest post from Bru, a great excerpt and a comment giveaway where you can win a copy of one of the previous books in the Camp H.O.W.L. series, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway!! ❤ ~Pixie~

Stealing His Heart

(Dreamspun Beyond 36 / Camp H.O.W.L. Novel / Connoll Pack 01)
by

Bru Baker

Love sneaks in like a thief in the night.

Danny’s parents raised him to believe his wolf was a curse. He’s part of the wealthy and powerful Connoll Pack, but only nominally. He abandoned that world to volunteer with supernatural kids, and he isn’t looking for a mate….

Max is a shifter who is also a detective. He’s working a case that could make or break his career. Danny’s caught up in the case he’s on, and he’s also irresistible. They’re a bad match—Max, an Alpha having trouble with his new powers and Danny, who trusts Alphas as far as he could throw one. But they can’t get enough of each other, and they might bond before they even see it coming.

They could be amazing together, but they have to get past a few obstacles—especially since someone close to Danny might be involved in the thefts Max is investigating.

Release date: 5th March
Pre-order:
.•.•.**
❣️ Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | Google Play ❣️**.•.•.

Continue reading “Stealing His Heart by Bru Baker Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway!”

Camp H.O.W.L by Bru Baker ~ Audio Review

Title: Camp H.O.W.L 01

Series: Camp H.O.W.L / Dreamspun Beyond

Author: Bru Baker

Narrator: Dorian Bane

Genre: Paranormal, Shape shifter

Length: 6 hrs, 55 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (12th January 2018)

Heat Level: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Heart Rating: Moderate

Blurb: Moonmates exist, but getting together is going to be a beast….

When Adrian Rothschild skipped his “werewolf puberty”, he assumed he was, somehow, human.

But he was wrong, and he’s about to go through his Turn with a country between him and his Pack – scared, alone, and eight years late.

Dr. Tate Lewis’ werewolf supremacist father made his Turn miserable, and now Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L. to ease the transition for young werewolves. He isn’t expecting to offer guidance to a grown man – or find his moonmate in Adrian. Tate doesn’t even believe in the legendary bond; after all, his polygamist father claimed five. But it’s clear Adrian needs him, and if Tate can let his guard down, he might discover he needs Adrian, too.

A moonmate is a wolf’s missing piece, and Tate is missing a lot of pieces. But is Adrian up to the challenge?

Product Link: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Camp H.O.W.L is the first book in a series by Bru Baker going by the same name. I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t 100% sold by the blurb – I was concerned that this was going to be a fluffy story with not a lot of substance. The one thing that I did look forward to was Dorian Bane’s narration. I really love Bane’s narration and I believe that his husky, deep voice is perfect for alpha shifters. He also has a gift of adding the appropriate level of emotion through the tone of his voice and in this book it really helped me to relate to both MCs.

However, all my worries regarding the book were for nothing. I was immediately pulled into an interesting world of werewolves who struggle with their second puberty where they finally shift into their wolf counterpart on the full moon near their 19th birthday.

Adrian Rothschild is 27, his mother is one of the most powerful wolf alphas in the US and for reasons that were not found out for by shifter doctors he never experienced the Turn at 19. He has since resigned himself to be a human among a pack of wolves. A pack that, despite his family’s position, he doesn’t feel like he belongs to fully. Therefore, he’s happy to be away from his family to work. The problem is, when he takes a holiday far away from his pack and home, Adrian suddenly starts to get the symptoms of the change. Thinking it’s just the flu, Adrian pushes himself until he’s in trouble.

Adrian meets Dr Tate Lewis, a man he feels an inexplicable pull towards. Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L, a sort of hidden camp/school where wolf families send their teens about to make the turn to go through their first change. He’s one of the camp councilors because he doesn’t want other wolflings to go through what he had gone through as the son of an alpha with some perverse beliefs.

When Adrian and Tate meet, it’s assumed that the connection they have is one called a Turn Mate. Turns out that wasn’t quite right, though, because they are moonmates, which is basically a term for soul mate or mate as seen in other paranormal stories. Tate has a lot of baggage from his formative years and therefore is not ready to accept the bond with Adrian.

I will admit, I got a little annoyed at Tate and that was because his angst and brooding was hurting Adrian. I absolutely adored Adrian. I reckon that’s a pretty good indicator of a book. Any fans of shape shifter stories will like this one. Just because this is set in a camp doesn’t mean that there is anything childish about the book. There is not outrageous alpha behavior, a lot of sweetness, a broody psychologist (I think that’s what Tate is?), some excellent chemistry and just a lot of fun.

Hiding in Plain Sight by Bru Baker

Title: Hiding in Plain Sight

Series: Camp H.O.W.L 03 / Dreamspun Beyond 28

Author: Bru Baker

Genre: Paranormal,  Shape shifters

Length: Novel (256 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Blurb: Happily ever after is right under their noses.

Harris has been keeping a big secret for years—his unrequited mate bond with his best friend, Jackson. He’s convinced himself that having Jackson in his life is enough. That, and his work at Camp H.O.W.L., keeps him going.

Things get complicated when Jackson applies for a high-ranking Tribunal job in New York City—far from Camp H.O.W.L. The position requires he relinquish all Pack bonds… and that’s when his wolf decides to choose a mate. Suddenly Jackson sees his best friend in a sizzling new light.

Their chemistry is through the roof, but they’re setting themselves up for broken hearts—and broken bonds—if Jackson can’t figure out a way to balance his career and the love that’s just been waiting for him to take notice.

ISBN: 978-1-64080-866-9

Product Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Hiding in Plain Sight is the third book in Bru Baker’s Camp H.O.W.L series and found myself surprised at the extent to which I enjoyed the first book and had no choice but to read the rest! I recommend reading this series in order, because while they are mostly standalone books, there are a number of references to previous installments that may be tricky for some people. While the previous couples aren’t always so prominent there are probably a few points where things can get difficult.

The series surrounds the lives of the doctors/counselors who work at Camp H.O.W.L as they do the work they love, protecting the young wolflings who are going through their first and very traumatic shift in a summer camp type of setting and somehow finding love while undoubtedly fighting the mating bonds that are forming almost every step of the way. I think, though, the couples fighting the bond only really bothered me in the second book than it did in the first and third because it made less sense to me.

This third book tells the story of tribunal enforcer Jackson and camp councilor Harris. Jackson appeared in the previous book as the stepbrother of one of the MCs, while Harris has been a bit of a stoic, strong figure who supports his colleagues/friends at Camp H.O.W.L. I was seriously excited about this story and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. After reading the blurb I could already predict that I would be totally in love with Harris – I already loved him as a secondary character. I also knew that I would love Jackson, but I also knew that I would get invested and frustrated by his hesitation, which in this case was not a bad thing at all.

Harris is a well loved and well-respected counselor. He has lived for years holding a torch to one of his best friends, Jackson. But Jackson has always been ambitious, and Harris had a great fear of losing Jackson if he acted on his feelings. However, Jackson is now in the process of getting a new job in New York, which would take him almost too far away from Harris. Jackson is also deeply attracted to Harris, but having a mate at this point in time is not in his plans and despite nesting when he knows that Harris will be around, he can’t give in. The guys have a chance together when Jackson freelances for another best friend to provide security to the camp and little incidences start to happen. All these little steps have to happen so that these guys have a chance at a HEA.

This is a fun story. It’s sweet but also very sexy, the guys have great chemistry. If your thing is shifters then you’ll enjoy it. If you’ve already started the series and loved it, I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to read Harris’ story.

Under a Blue Moon by Bru Baker

Title: Under a Blue Moon

Series: Camp H.O.W.L 02 / Dreamspun Beyond 22

Author: Bru Baker

Genre: Paranormal, Shape shifters

Length: Novel (228 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 4.5 Hearts

Blurb: Once in a blue moon, opposites find they’re a perfect match.

Nick Perry is tired of helping people with their marriages, so when a spot opens up to work with teens at Camp H.O.W.L., he jumps at it. He doesn’t expect to fall in lust with the dreamy new camp doctor, Drew Welch. But Drew is human, and Nick has seen secrets ruin too many relationships to think that a human/werewolf romance can go anywhere.

Happy-go-lucky Drew may not sprout claws, but he’s been part of the Were community all his life. He has no trouble fitting in at the camp—except for Nick’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the growing attraction between them and his ridiculous stance on dating humans. Fate intervenes when one of his private practice patients threatens Drew’s life. Will the close call help Nick to see a connection like theirs isn’t something to let go of?

ISBN: 978-1-64080-696-2

Product Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: I was pretty excited to read Under a Blue Moon. This is the second book in Bru Baker’s Camp H.O.W.L series and found myself surprised at the extent to which I enjoyed the first book. And so after reading the first one I went straight into the second and third books – because binge reading is my vice. I recommend reading this series in order, because while they are mostly standalone books, there are a number of references to previous installments that may be tricky for some people. Well, that’s my opinion anyway, it would probably work ok as a standalone if you’re not going to question too far into the words.

The series surrounds the lives of the doctors/counselors who work at Camp H.O.W.L as they do the work they love, protecting the young wolflings who are going through their first and very traumatic shift in a summer camp type of setting and somehow finding love while undoubtedly fighting the mating bonds that are forming almost every step of the way.

Ok, so that was a pretty simplistic overview but I think that it’s accurate. In Under a Blue Moon we meet two new workers to Camp H.O.W.L, Nick Perry and Drew Welch.

Nick is a counsellor who wants to get out of private practice and kids going through the Turn. He is the replacement counselor for Tate from book 1. And then there is Drew. He is a medical doctor – a human raised by his human mother and wolf stepfather, surrounded by his three wolf step brothers. The guys meet each other on the way to camp and things get hot and heavy – and at this point they don’t even realize that they are travelling to the same place, let alone going to be work colleagues. I don’t want to go into things too much, I don’t want to completely spoil the plot, but Nick finds it hard to reconcile that he has a mate bond with a human, and that being human doesn’t mean that Drew can’t survive life with wolves.

As I said earlier, a common theme in both book 1 and 2 is that at least one of the men in the romantic pair tries his best to ignore the mate bond and push away his prospective mate. I find that trope a little frustrating at time, but in my opinion it worked well, even if I found myself getting annoyed at Nick and wanting to bash a fry pan over his head. Meanwhile, I loved Drew and his family. Drew is a wonderfully relatable character – fearless and smart as a whip.

If you loved the first book or shape shifter romances, you’ll no doubt love this.

Camp H.O.W.L by Bru Baker

Title: Camp H.O.W.L

Series: Camp H.O.W.L 01 / Dreamspun Beyond 07

Author: Bru Baker

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novel (238 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (1st November 2017)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Blurb: Moonmates exist, but getting together is going to be a beast….

When Adrian Rothschild skipped his “werewolf puberty,” he assumed he was, somehow, human. But he was wrong, and he’s about to go through his Turn with a country between him and his Pack—scared, alone, and eight years late.

Dr. Tate Lewis’s werewolf supremacist father made his Turn miserable, and now Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L. to ease the transition for young werewolves. He isn’t expecting to offer guidance to a grown man—or find his moonmate in Adrian. Tate doesn’t even believe in the legendary bond; after all, his polygamist father claimed five. But it’s clear Adrian needs him, and if Tate can let his guard down, he might discover he needs Adrian too.

A moonmate is a wolf’s missing piece, and Tate is missing a lot of pieces. But is Adrian up to the challenge?

ISBN: 978-1-63533-800-3

Product Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Camp H.O.W.L is the first book in a series by Bru Baker going by the same name. I’ve actually already heard the audio but I always love how there are things that I pick up in the text that I don’t in the audio and vice versa. I already enjoyed listening to the audio, so I knew exactly what I was stepping into. The only thing I didn’t know if this was going to be one of those where I prefer the book over the audio or not. In the end, although I rate them both as a 5 and I absolutely adored the narration of the audio, I felt I got a lot more out of the characters by reading this myself.

Adrian Rothschild is 27, his mother is one of the most powerful wolf alphas in the US and for reasons that were not found out for by shifter doctors he never experienced the Turn at 19. He has since resigned himself to be a human among a pack of wolves. A pack that, despite his family’s position, he doesn’t feel like he belongs to fully. Therefore, he’s happy to be away from his family to work. The problem is, when he takes a holiday far away from his pack and home, Adrian suddenly starts to get the symptoms of the change. Thinking it’s just the flu, Adrian pushes himself until he’s in trouble.

Adrian meets Dr Tate Lewis, a man he feels an inexplicable pull towards. Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L, a sort of hidden camp/school where wolf families send their teens about to make the turn to go through their first change. He’s one of the camp councilors because he doesn’t want other wolflings to go through what he had gone through as the son of an alpha with some perverse beliefs.

When Adrian and Tate meet, it’s assumed that the connection they have is one called a Turn Mate. Turns out that wasn’t quite right, though, because they are moonmates, which is basically a term for soul mate or mate as seen in other paranormal stories. Tate has a lot of baggage from his formative years and therefore is not ready to accept the bond with Adrian.

So when I heard the audio, I got annoyed at Tate because he was being a bit of dick by denying the bond and in turn was hurting Adrian. However, in reading the book I felt more of a connection to Tate and why he acted how he did. It’s not something that I can describe much better than saying it was just Tate’s vibe. My adoration for Adrian did not change at all.

Any fans of shape shifter stories will like this one. Just because this is set in a camp doesn’t mean that there is anything childish about the book. There is not outrageous alpha behavior, a lot of sweetness, a broody psychologist (I think that’s what Tate is?), some excellent chemistry and just a lot of fun.

I decided to read this because I was about to get to the next 2 books in the series and I am absolutely obsessed with reading series in order, particularly when I’m about to binge a number of books from a series. And I have to say, I am excited about getting to the next two installments.

Hiding in Plain Sight by Bru Baker Guest Post & Excerpt!

Bru Baker - Hiding in Plain Sight Banner

Hi guys! We have Bru Baker stopping by today with her upcoming release Hiding In Plain Sight, we have a brilliant guest post from Bru and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~

Hiding In Plain Sight

(Dreamspun Beyond 28 / Camp H.O.W.L. 03)
by

Bru Baker

Happily ever after is right under their noses.

Harris has been keeping a big secret for years—his unrequited mate bond with his best friend, Jackson. He’s convinced himself that having Jackson in his life is enough. That, and his work at Camp H.O.W.L., keeps him going.

Things get complicated when Jackson applies for a high-ranking Tribunal job in New York City—far from Camp H.O.W.L. The position requires he relinquish all Pack bonds… and that’s when his wolf decides to choose a mate. Suddenly Jackson sees his best friend in a sizzling new light.

Their chemistry is through the roof, but they’re setting themselves up for broken hearts—and broken bonds—if Jackson can’t figure out a way to balance his career and the love that’s just been waiting for him to take notice.

Release date: 18th September 2018
Pre-order:
 Dreamspinner Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

Continue reading “Hiding in Plain Sight by Bru Baker Guest Post & Excerpt!”