Blurb: A Squad of Renegades. Forced to Work Together. Sent on a Suicide Mission.
The high brass of the Galactic Federation is in turmoil. One of their most dangerous weapons has just been stolen by Martian rebels. They need a way to get it back before it’s activated and wipes them all out of existence. But who can they trust with this impossible task?
Jaime Pravin Hall is a veteran soldier to the Federation. After a botched experiment that was to grant him magical powers but left him with severe brain tumors, he’s offered a deal: join the mission as the team’s leader and he’ll get the treatment he needs to stay alive.
This new team is made up of expendable recruits that can be sacrificed, if not to retrieve this weapon of mass destruction, at least to destroy it in a kamikaze effort. A team of people among which: a drueed, a seer, a robotic mad scientist and an elementalist.
Jaime will have to take those strong individualities, shape them into a cohesive group, and get them ready for action. But as they embark on this suicide mission, they soon find that there might be an even worse threat looming: a dangerous virus that changes people and turns them into monsters.
The team will need everyone’s peculiar talents to make it out of there alive. Clock is ticking, for they might be the universe’s last hope. They, the band of pariahs. The Mage Marine Misfits!
Warning: this book contains sexually explicit scenes of the LGBT type; so, do not read if this is likely to offend you.
Review: I really enjoyed this fast paced, action packed, suspense filled story. Jaime and the suicide squad were intriguing. Each of their abilities came in handy during dangerous missions they were sent on.
I loved that as the story progressed it seemed to add depth as the mystery and suspense grew to high heights. All was not as it seemed and there were those working behind the scenes to cause discord and chaos in their favor. Not everyone in the squad make it out alive and lessons are learned the hard way about who they can and can not trust.
This story ends on a wild cliffhanger that had me gasping. I am looking forward to the next book to see what happens with Jaime and the squad next.
Blurb: Even a king gets stung when he reaches for a scorpion.
After barely surviving an assassination attempt, King Adrastes is a changed man—one who mistrusts even his allies and friends. He readies his empire for war against an enigmatic enemy, the Elder of Vededrin, but not everyone approves. While courtiers dare only to whisper dissent, an outrider called Death foments rebellion in the mountains, aided by a prophecy that promises he’ll stop the Black King.
Kendras—former lover to Adrastes and leader of the Scorpions—is sent with his elite mercenary force to bring Death to justice. But when Kendras learns who’s hiding behind the mask, he must choose between his lover Graukar, newly appointed general to the king—and King Adrastes himself.
With no man to call master, the Scorpions could flee the danger and intrigue. But Kendras cannot abandon the man he once loved—or the man he’s growing to love—without first uncovering the real threat to the Empire.
Review: I think it took me forever to find the time and finally finish this book. I seriously hated real life for stealing my time away, but I made it and *sigh* now I’m going to have to go over yet another book-hangover. It’s a thing with Voinov’s books and me, happens almost every time.
A Taste for Poison is the third and final book of the Memory of Scorpions universe, though rumour has it that Voinov is considering writing some shorts about some characters. As a fan, I truly hope it’ll happen.
So back to this book, yet again we were graced with a strong story, capable of grabbing your brain and imprisoning it in the depths of the plot. Action, blood, gore. Love, lust, passion. Jealousy, pain, fury. Intrigues, betrayals, back-stabbings.
More often than not, I felt like living in the story and I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful a feeling that is. The intensity of the storytelling is spectacular and leaves you without breath. Expect heart palpitations, heartbreaks, and even a tear shedding or two. Also, expect the sizzling hot passion and the one-of-the-kind love manifestation Voinov is so famous for being able to recreate in writing. And if you think you won’t get bat-shit-crazy mad with characters and events, think again.
The story itself takes a turn and what we suspected in book #2 became reality. It shifted from having Adrastes as the main person of Kendras’s interest to Graukar and while that was expected it managed to shock us with what Graukar suffers in the path of Adrastes’s fury. It will make you cringe and shudder, but it’s well worth it and raises the tension of the story way above high. It made Kendras look so damn good in my eyes too and I think it was about time, as he left me with an uneasy feeling in book #2.
Other than that, I don’t think I need to point out the quality of this book. Anyone who has read a book from Aleksandr Voinov knows to expect only the best. Wonderful editing work, fonts and presentation always making you feel like you’re reading a paperback. There are times I wonder why I can’t smell the pages and I laugh at myself. But you get the point. It’s so nice to have to focus only in the story without having minor details, such as typos or poor proofing, take your concentration away.
In the end, all there is to add here is; if you are not acquainted with the Memory of Scorpions universe I strongly recommend it to you.
Blurb: If you lie with scorpions, you’d better have a taste for poison.
Now that Kendras’s lover Adrastes has claimed the throne of Dalman, Kendras is tangled deeper than ever in politics and intrigue. As the new leader of the Scorpions and Adrastes’s one true friend, he and his men stand between Adrastes and those who wish him dead.
And many do. Adrastes openly challenges the ocean priesthood for power while establishing himself at court and brokering with the realm’s various factions. He means for the Scorpions to become a fearsome legion again, but Kendras must first learn how to be a good officer and recruit to replace the fallen. His choices will determine the future of a group steeped in hundreds of years of history and tradition.
As both Kendras and Adrastes settle old scores, a new enemy arises in Commander Graukar, a war hero loyal to the old order. In his formidable mountain fortress, Graukar may hold the balance of power. But while Adrastes aims to either rule or destroy Graukar, Kendras finds himself doubting Adrastes for the first time, and sharing more with Graukar than he ever thought possible.
Review: Well, it’s finally done and after a long time filled with anticipation, book two of the Memory of Scorpions takes us into yet another enthralling tale.
In direct opposition with Book one, this novel starts relatively calm. Adrastes is now the new Lord Protector and on his way to claim Dalman and her throne with his very own personal guard, the Scorpions, and his lover Kendras at his side as his personal bodyguard. And they are needed too, because Adrastes claims the throne with barely concealed threats.
And it is apparent that this book is quite different from the previous in many ways. It starts calmly and the plot flows steady, slowly taking you through the story. Nearly half of the book is a slow pacing through Adrastes’s setting on the throne, the games and politics of the generals, a slow change on Adrastes’ personality or perhaps character leaving Kendras in a state of uncertainty for most of the read. Now I always thought that Kendras has a lot of inner thinking going on with him, but his new role as Officer has him overdoing it. I’m not sure how much I liked that fact or the drag of half of this story.
However the pace did pick up, the story became quite interesting and surprising. I think I felt the same with Kendras there when it came to Graukar and the Ambassador of the Jaishani. I was astonished with those characters. I expected a brute on Graukar and his genteel soul left me with a jaw hanging. As for the Ambassador, oh my, what a character, and what amazing possibilities that one brings for the future of this series.
So there it is, this book starts shattering slowly into pieces once the action picks up. I loved the “mission,” I loved the amazing help of the Black Legion, I loved the feeling and emotions that came from the unexpected new love affair, and I felt the painful grip in my heart when Kendras finally got a glimpse in his past and his family. I think that was the mostly emotional charged part of this entire second installment, with a second the Betrayal that came to the end. The pinnacle of intensity and what made me so sad in the end, but so very much-needed to give the story the push and reason to move on. As much as I saw the need for it, I must admit I close the book with the thought “poor Kendras.”
Overall, it was a great sequel to the first book however, for me it didn’t quite shake me like the first one. I loved it however and I’m definitely now more interested on the third book of the series. It is now that Kendras will rise and I can’t wait for it. As for this one, it’s quite worth reading it, with amazing scenes of battle and secret missions, the blood we’ve come to expect from the Scorpions, and a great deal of conspiracy and back-stabbing. Recommended!
Kendras is a casualty of war: injured, penniless, and quite possibly the last surviving member of the only family he’s ever had—the elite fighting force known as the Scorpions. When a steel-eyed mercenary offers him medicine and shelter in exchange for submission and a secret task, Kendras has no choice but to accept. He is a Scorpion; he’ll do whatever it takes to survive.
But his true goal is to rebuild the Scorpions. Neither Steel’s possessive nature nor Kendras’s shattered foot can keep him from finding the last of his brothers, or the mysterious leader of the Scorpions, the man who held Kendras’s heart long before Steel tried to take it for himself.
The goal is simple, the situation anything but. To rescue his leader and escape from Steel for good, Kendras must fight through a morass of politics and intrigue where enemies may be allies and even allies have hidden agendas. But Kendras isn’t only fighting for his lost lover and tribe—he soon realizes that nothing less than the birth of an Empire is at stake.
Review: Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:
dubious consent
explicit violence
Being the first writer to introduce me to the m/m genre, it is safe to say that Voinov is one of my favorite authors. It is also safe to say that I’ve grown to expect anything and everything from this author, from romance to explicit erotica and from sci-fi to extreme dark fantasy.
So I expected to dive in this book and not be released from its spell unless it was over, I expected it to rock my world, I expected it to make me feel and intensely so. Still I didn’t saw it coming full force and hit me like a punch in the gut. And I lost count of how many times I was left there jaw hanging slack and shivers running through my body re-reading the same paragraph over and over again just because it was so very amazingly gritty and violent that I simply could not take my eyes of and move on.
Yes, I’m and addict when it comes to Voinov’s special brand of violence, I’m and addict when it comes to his horrific erotic scenes, and I’m an addict to the way he makes a perfectly terrifying character, one that should make me want to scream and run for my life, to the most delicious and lovable character ever.
If you don’t know this author’s work then frankly you don’t know what you’re missing; if you do than you’ll understand me when I say that more often than not I’m left speechless simply because there doesn’t seem to exist good enough words to talk about it.
In this book, we meet Kendras, a member of an elite military unit, The Scorpions. The unit is the family nobody can shatter. There is nothing above it and all and everything revolves around the members. They fight together, live together, die together and above all, they never stop fighting.
Unfortunately, in the last battle, too many members died and the fear that all is lost is almost consuming Kendras. He’s been shipped away from the field and lost contact with everybody, he’s wounded, to the brink of death but he must keep living and fighting and try to get his way back to find out what happened to his unit, to his Officer.
He must do whatever it takes to get well and on the road again, even if that means to give himself, however temporarily, to Steel, a mysterious man with a hidden agenda and seemingly soulless, who for whatever reason wants Kentras to be and work with him.
And this is how things are set in motion, a wide web of intrigues and political games for power, assassins coming from every corner and people dying from least expected hands. Corruption and hunger of every form are seen and a mind-blowing plot is slowly unraveled, steadily taking every ounce of your sanity away in its path.
The characters are many, their personalities each unique and the dialogues often have a gritty sense of humor you can’t resist. The erotic relations between the characters are limitless and often the lines blur, and the eroticism is heady driving you in a mindless swirl of emotions. Hot, sexy, debauched, or even forced everything is written with a seducing pen that makes even the crudest scene seem strangely alluring. Expect that, expect anything and you’ll be able to ride it in its full glory instead of staring shocked.
The plot was quite powerful too with so many unexpected twists and turns that keep you always on your toes never allowing you to relax for a single bit. And the world created oh my, such an enticing one, I can’t wait for the next book of the series to come just for the brief chance to get in there once again.
If there is one thing about this book that somehow let me down is the fact that we never really saw Kendras in the heart of a battle. Yes, he was wounded for the better part and yes, he did kill somebody, but I was waiting for that bloodthirsty Scorpion to wreak havoc and I didn’t get that. A bit disappointed there but hopefully he’ll come back in book #2 and do just that.
Conclusion after all the above… Well, freaking awesome and definitely on my favorite shelf where books that I take out and read to fix me up are put. The Scorpion is just too good to miss.
Hi peeps, we have Aleksandr Voinov stopping by today with his Memory of Scorpions series blitz, we have Thommie’s reviews and an awesome $25 Amazon GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway!❤ ~Pixie~
The Memory of Scorpions series is a gritty military fantasy featuring a very diverse, very queer cast of characters. Political drama, court intrigue, love, loyalty, betrayal and a plot driven story line that will keep you guessing right up to the very end. The beautiful covers were created by Anna Sikorska.
Scorpion
(Memory of Scorpions 01)
by
Aleksandr Voinov
You learn your wisest lessons from your enemies. Assuming, of course, you survive the encounter.
Kendras is a casualty of war: injured, penniless, and quite possibly the last surviving member of the only family he’s ever known—the elite fighting force known as the Scorpions. When a steel-eyed stranger offers him medicine and shelter in exchange for submission and a secret task, Kendras has no choice but to accept. He is a Scorpion; he’ll do whatever it takes to survive.
But his true goal is to rebuild the Scorpions. Neither Steel’s possessive nature nor Kendras’s shattered foot can keep him from finding the last of his brothers… or the mysterious leader of the Scorpions, a man who held Kendras’s heart long before Steel tried to take it for himself. The goal is simple, the situation anything but. To rescue his leader and escape from Steel for good, Kendras must fight through a morass of politics and intrigue, where enemies are allies and even allies have hidden agendas.
If you lie with scorpions, you’d better have a taste for poison.
Now that Kendras’s lover Adrastes has claimed the throne of Dalman, Kendras is tangled deeper than ever in politics and intrigue. As the new leader of the Scorpions and Adrastes’s one true friend, he and his men stand between Adrastes and those who wish him dead.
And many do. Adrastes openly challenges the ocean priesthood for power while establishing himself at court and brokering with the realm’s various factions. He means for the Scorpions to become a fearsome legion again, but Kendras must first learn how to be a good officer and recruit to replace the fallen. His choices will determine the future of a group steeped in hundreds of years of history and tradition.
As both Kendras and Adrastes settle old scores, a new enemy arises in Commander Graukar, a war hero loyal to the old order. In his formidable mountain fortress, Graukar may hold the balance of power. But while Adrastes aims to either rule or destroy Graukar, Kendras finds himself doubting Adrastes for the first time, and sharing more with Graukar than he ever thought possible.
Even the hand of a king is stung when it reaches for the scorpion.
After barely surviving an assassination attempt, King Adrastes is a changed man—one who mistrusts even his allies and friends. He readies his empire for war against an enigmatic enemy, the Elder of Vededrin, but not everyone approves. While courtiers dare only to whisper dissent, an outrider called Death foments rebellion in the mountains, aided by a prophecy that promises he’ll stop the Black King.
Kendras—former lover to Adrastes and leader of the Scorpions—is sent with his elite mercenary force to bring Death to justice. But when Kendras learns who’s hiding behind the mask, he must choose between his lover Graukar, newly appointed general to the king—and King Adrastes himself.
With no man to call master, the Scorpions could flee the danger and intrigue. But Kendras cannot abandon the man he once loved—or the man he’s growing to love—without first uncovering the real threat to the Empire.
1.Extremely rare and powerful empaths never escape the compound.
(Bastian Lucas escaped a year ago, and just because he’s been dragged back doesn’t mean he won’t escape again at the first opportunity….and cause as much trouble as he can while doing it.)
2.Officers do as they’re told and never ask questions.
(Captain Henry Mortimer has followed orders his entire life, but Bastian’s arrival—and the disappearance of one of Henry’s team—have gotten him wondering.)
When Major Valentine orders Henry and Bastian to investigate a series of murders committed by an asset with powers very similar to Bastian’s, it brings to light more than just a cover up. Things like why an empath who shouldn’t exist is killing senators, what exactly Valentine has been doing with the sinister asset program, and whether or not Henry and Bastian will live to see the end of this case.
Because they’re in danger of breaking rule number three as well:
Review: A compound, evil intentions and two men who are drawn toward each other. Bastian is an empath who has spent his life being experimented on at a compound run by Major Valentine. Henry is a captain of the retrieval team who goes out and retrieves assets for the major. When he meets Bastian he realizes there is more going on that he knew about. He has a decision to make, ask questions or continue being oblivious.
I loved this story. Henry is painfully oblivious of a great many things. Bastian on the other hand knew what was going on in that dreadful place. My heart wept for the many cruel things done to Bastian and other assets at the whim of an evil major and Dr.
The mystery and suspense of the story mixed with the secrets as they were revealed were edge of your seat worthy. I loved that despite the danger to himself Henry wanted answers. The allies of Bastian helped immensely in obtaining further information to move forward.
Fantastic read. I am looking forward to the next book and hopefully learning about other assets that the compound had in their grasp and seeing what else happens.
Hi guys! We have Liz Borino stopping by today with her new re-release Angel’s Intuition, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $10 NineStar GC giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Angel’s Intuition
by
Liz Borino
Without explanation, CIA officials pull Agent Aaron “Angel” Collins off a top-secret Afghanistan mission he’s spent months preparing for. Due to repeated deceptions, Aaron’s husband, Captain Jordan Collins, decides to retire after this deployment.
Major General Troy Hart inserts himself into Aaron’s life, somehow getting past his personal barriers and better judgment. When Troy, in his capacity as a high-ranking officer, delivers some devastating news about Jordan, he becomes the only one who supports Aaron’s search for the truth. Unbeknownst to Aaron, Jordan and Troy’s dark history taints everything about the present.
Jordan awakens in an Afghanistan prison, beaten, ill, and fighting for his life. To get home to his Angel he must put his trust in a woman he was taught to fear.
When the mystery of Jordan’s disappearance is solved, another surfaces. Jordan and Aaron’s unauthorized search for the truth calls into question everything they thought they knew, until all they trust is each other. But exposing the wrong people threatens to bring their worst nightmares to fruition.
Warning: scenes of captivity and torture, and references to violent death.
Previously released 2015 as Angel’s Intuition. Previously released 2014 under the titles: Angel’s Hero, and, Angel’s Truth.
Genre:Â Gay Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Military
Length:Â Novel (200 Pages)
Publisher:Â DSP Publication (July 5, 2016)
Heat Level:Â Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb:Â Highly decorated Delta Force operator and Iraq war hero Simon Monk loses everything when his romantic partner defects to Beijing after being caught selling US secrets to Chinese Intelligence. Monk is drummed out of the Army from the blowback but gets a second chance at a career when he is recruited into a covert group within the CIA.
Years later Monk’s latest assignment sends him to Cairo, where the head of station has disappeared amid a highly publicized sex scandal. But things are not what they seem. When the base chief turns up dead and the Egyptian government looks the other way, Monk and his team hunt down the assassin.
All roads lead to a ruthless and lethal cult from Egypt’s ancient past who discard every unwritten rule of espionage to win. Monk is forced to take to the shadows to find and destroy his most dangerous adversaries yet, as a chain of events threatens to ignite war in the Middle East.
This is the first story by this author that I have read and I must say I am ecstatic about it. Although I have to tell you that I was thinking sexy man in a uniform, hot sex and so forth. That is not what this story is about; there is romance to it, but more action, suspense and danger then anything.
Simon Monk is ex-army, ex-delta force who was drummed out when his lover turned out to be a traitor to their country. He had finished five tours in Afghanistan and ended up working for the CIA in a way. He was sent to kill those who posed a danger to others. He is extremely lethal and hard to kill.
This story is an action packed one with espionage, assassinations and deadly men. Egypt is not known for allowing gays so when a known married couple are assassinated, it is time for Simon to step in. He is ordered to lead the investigation. However, in what would seem like a case of homophobic hate, the situation has turned into something more dangerous. Someone wants to take over Egypt and it is up to Simon and Ben to stop them.
If you like dangerous situations, espionage, politics, foreign relationship, traitors, spies and so forth then this is the book for you. This story turned out to be quite extensive in how long the author had to do research. The plot is so damn twisted and complex, but it works for this particular story. The details were fully developed and so damn well designed that it was jaw dropping. The pace is a little off to me though.
I had trouble concentrating on the story because it was a slow building story. If you’re looking for hot sex then you might want to read another story because this is more about the action, suspense, danger and assassinations. Although the author seemed to be really into details because I thought some of it was just not needed. It took away from the story itself for me. Also the fact that women were in it, not as sexual characters but as military and so forth was a bit strange to me, I just could not see the bad guys having a female assassin or spy or infiltrator or whatever she was.
I understand that this is a series, but I am afraid that as well written that this story is, it was not for me. If you are into military and war stories though, this will be for you, but it is not really a romance story.
Pixie’s Review: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
I agree with a lot of Lisa’s review, this story is action pack, with a lot of dangerous situations, espionage, political minefields, foreign relationship, traitors and spies. The story flows smoothly and it’s pretty fast paced for the type of storyline.
The story is really all about Simon Monk; nearly everything that happens happens around him with a couple of scenes with other characters highlighted to move the storyline along. Monk’s love interest is a man called Ben Namajunas, Special Forces, who is called in to help Monk with his mission. Ben and Monk have a long history and this time around Ben longs for something more from Monk rather than brief sexy times together.Â
Whereas Lisa finds it strange that women are used as strong key characters whatever their role, I found it to be quite refreshing that women were fit into roles that many authors would have left to men. The only thing that irked me was that the women were all stunningly beautiful; I’d have liked it if at least one of them was a ‘plain Jane’.
The storyline is strong; it keeps you gripped as it drags you along after Monk, dodging bodies, bombs, gunfire and traitors. The relationship between Monk and Ben was low key throughout the story, hanging around in the background with just a hint every now and again to keep the interest piqued. I loved the way the story was built; layers were added with every chapter until you had a full picture of Monk and what his life entails. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
I recommend this to those who love mystery and suspense laced with action and danger, who adore in depth characters, who love a solid storyline that is laced with just a bit of budding relationships.Â
Hiya guys, we have S. Davidson stopping by with the tour for her new release Resurrection, we have some great teasers, a fantastic giveaway and Lisa’s review, so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Resurrection
by
S. Davidson
Two men with painful, complicated pasts who have shut themselves down from ever loving again. Complete opposites of one another, one raised in a strict military household, who grew up with the sole purpose of becoming a soldier and defending his country, only to have that cut short by an IED; and the other raised in the rodeo, small town and ranch life his safe haven; and their chance meeting.
How the two of them end up in some small town diner can only be credited to divine intervention. But are both men too damaged? They say God works in mysterious ways. Well, he certainly had his hands full when he chose these two for saving.
Hi guys, we have A.D. Ellis stopping by today with the tour for her new release Bryan & Jase, we have a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and Aerin’s review so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Bryan & Jase
(Something about Him 01)
by
A.D. Ellis
Jase Rafferty grew up hiding his sexual curiosities—until he meets Bryan Keating. Bryan’s sexual preference is no secret, and being deployed overseas together allows the two men to forge a solid friendship. The sexual attraction is undeniable, but after one lust-filled week, they must go their separate ways.
A year later, a chance meeting gives them one more weekend together, even though they know Jase can’t risk his military career or his family obligations to be with Bryan.
Several years pass before Jase finally accepts the desperate longing in his heart and body. But when fear and hatred threaten to tear them apart, Jase must make a tough decision, one that he isn’t sure he and Bryan can overcome. Together, they must choose to weather the storm or say goodbye forever.
Hi peeps, we have Amberly Smith popping in to show off her upcoming release Waking Jamal,  Amberly chats briefly about the book and there is an amazing excerpt that not only whets the appetite but hooks you completely! So guys enjoy the post <3 ~Pixie~
Waking Jamal
(Valhalla Initiative 01)
by
Amberly Smith
Their physical and mental survival depends on them bonding.
Jamal Zumati joins the military, determined to repay the country that fed and housed him. But during his Hamask activation, his senses go offline and he enters a berserker rage. The United States Hamrammr Program, or USHP, has only one option: put him into hibernation.
Despite his extraordinary ability to read and manipulate situations, Vargr Lt. Rum Walker has stepped on one too many brass toes, and the USHP demoted him back to teaching new candidates. Rum is one paranoid thought away from self-destruction when he is recruited for a covert mission: pull Jamal from hibernation.
The problem is, no one has ever survived a berserker fury—at least not officially. If Rum is to challenge the military stereotypes, he’ll not only need to wake Jamal—he’ll need to get him to agree to bond as a Hamra Pair, the ultimate supersoldier team.
When Jamal and Rum team up with an FBI Hamra Pair to stop the terrorist group Dios Provee, Rum thinks he’ll show Jamal their true potential lies in an equal partnership, but Jamal is convinced Rum should take the lead. Will Rum stop Jamal from going berserk again and destroying both of their futures?
Title: Mage Marine Misfits
Title:Â The Last Enemy
