Hi guys! We have Dianne Hartsock stopping by today with her re-release Callum’s Fate, we have a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and Cat’s review, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Callum’s Fate
by
Dianne Hartsock
In 1780, Scotland, following a harsh year of drought, Callum Mackenzie is forced from his father’s farm in the hopes of finding work. But as fate would have it, Callum is lured onto the moors by the will-o-the-wisp. Lost in the dark, he falls into enchantment, encountering faeries and nymphs, until he stumbles into the arms of a licentious Barrow-Wight who lays claim to his soul.
Hearing his silent pleas, Donal sends Liam the gruagach (faery) to rescue Callum and bring him to his farm, a place of refuge from the Fae. Callum is happy working on Donal’s farm, slowly falling in love with the beautiful, silver-haired gruagach.
Yet there’s something wrong in the nearby forest… Despite Donal’s warnings, Callum is lured into the forest and becomes tangled in its magic, easy prey for the Barrow-Wight. Will Liam be able to strike a deal with the Barrow-Wight to save Callum’s life, or has Callum found his last resting place instead?
Blurb:Born the useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.
Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the scoundrel he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.
Review: At first I was not too sure if I wanted to read this story. I am not a fan of anything historical and the cover is a bit off. However I do love a good paranormal especially when the characters are two sexy men. This is the first book by this author I have read and I must say she does have a talent.
Wryler is a young lad who loves a good book. He has no real standing in his family but that all changes when he is traded off to marry Lord Aeric. This story is a bit like a prince and princess book with a monster vibe to it; a fairy tale of beauty and the beast, with Aeric being the beast. Aeric is in fact human and gryffon. And Wryler’s family has just basically sold him to this man. Talk about a rush. Wryler is in fact part fae, so he does have some magic of his own. But that fear he had at first soon turns to love.
Aeric does look a lot like a pirate rather than a barbarian but he is in fact gentle and very caring. He just didn’t let Wryler know that it wasn’t a curse but a blessing to be able to turn into the gryffon. Might have come back to bite him in the ass at some point, but hey read the story.
I will also admit that the beginning of the book was a bit dull for me, so I skidded through it as fast as I could. I actually liked the rest of the story a bit more than the beginning. Although I still don’t like the historical part of it, which might have been the reason I didn’t like the story as much as I should have.
The heat between the two men was off the charts. I actually found that I did like Wryler quite a bit more than the others. That might come from the fact that he was a geek when it came to books. It is a fun little story that you might like though I can’t see myself reading it more than once. It does have a humor to it that makes it pretty good and if your into historical, paranormal and fantasy type stories with humor and a bit of danger, then this will be for you.
Blurb: A fight to the death against his former master turns into a chance for Rafael, an assassin denied the immortality he lived to achieve, to learn the shocking truth about the fate he was spared.
Rafael wanted nothing more than to serve his immortal master, Xian, a High One of Clare, who taught him from an early age how to be an assassin. But after failing the final test, Rafael was turned out into the Lower City, abandoned by the one person he thought he could count on.
Years of hatred and thoughts of revenge have fueled Rafael’s quest for vengeance, but when the time comes to strike at Xian, he hesitates and is taken prisoner. Rafael expects to die, either at Xian’s hand or at the hand of Myrtea, his sadistic mistress.
Instead Xian heals him, spares him a brutal interrogation and tells him the dark truth driving the ruthlessness of the High Ones—the source of their immortality is spent. Soon the city will devolve into chaos as High Ones battle one another and the rebelling denizens of the Lower City for power and resources. Xian wants to spare Rafael that pain, just as he spared him the pain of becoming a High One a decade earlier.
Their only chance for survival is to escape Clare before civil war breaks out. Even if they make it out of the city, though, there’s no guarantee that Xian will live through the agonizing process of becoming human again. The only ones they can rely on are each other…if Rafael can bring himself to once again trust his former master, the only man he’s ever loved.
Reader Advisory: This book contains mentions of blood-drinking, blood magic, blood-play, knife-play, addiction and withdrawal, as well as flogging and whipping. This book also refers to pain and blood-play as coping mechanisms.
Publisher’s Note: This book has been released elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.
Review: Rafeal has been working toward one goal: becoming a high one. He is devastated to learn he failed the final test and even more so when his master and the man he looked up to, Xian, casts him out. He falls back into the one thing he was good at, an assassin.
Revenge motivated Rafeal meets Xian again and instead of killing him is taken prisoner. Xian finally explains his reasons for failing him and also informs him of the dark secrets of the high ones. Intent on escaping the battle coming between the high ones and the lowers Xian and Rafeal plan to leave.
This book is full of great scenes both suspenseful and thoughtful. I loved how the story played out. It was an amazing journey. Xian and Rafeal, despite the rough beginning once they found each other again, were great together in their bid to survive.
Hi peeps, we have Alexis Duran popping in with her new release Gryffon Hall, we have a great exclusive excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link ~Pixie~
Gryffon Hall
by
Alexis Duran
Born the useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.
Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the scoundrel he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.
Genre: Cowboys and Western, Erotic Romance, Historical, Vampires
Length: Novella (87 pages)
Publisher: Pride Publishing (August 2, 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating:♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Blurb: After a century apart, Mack and Jason rediscover their love and lust, but will trying to fit into a modern world keep them together or tear them apart?
When vampire lovers Mack and Jason are reunited after decades apart, they think of nothing but each other’s company. But over time, Mack’s old-world views conflict with Jason’s liberated life, and it throws them into a spiral of confused despair. When Mack seeks solace in the arms of another and Jason’s ex-lover Greg is murdered, their relationship breaks down and Mack flees.
While in solitude, Mack is handed the surprise opportunity to rekindle a relationship with his returned, now-vampire father, Allen. They return to Sydney to introduce him to Jason, but Jason has already sought revenge on Mack’s lover and committed an atrocity of his own. Fractured so soon after their reunion, the three of them travel back to where it all began, in the country town of Wattlebrook.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of violence and death.
Publisher’s Note: This book is a stand alone title but is best read as a sequal to Blood of the Land.
Review: I was glad that things left unanswered in the first book were resolved in this one. I liked the details regarding the history as it fascinated me. As per the first book this one was bloody but I figured that after reading book one.
Though I understood immortal vampires living hundreds of years and getting bored I did not understand why Mack and Jason intentionally hurt one another at times. It seemed as though they did not want to be together one moment then the next things were fine. Maybe they should talk more instead of arguing.
Genre: Native American, American Indian, Historical (1910), Shape Shifter.
Length: Novel
Heat Level: Cool – mild sexual content
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5Hearts
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (November 10, 2010)
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Helki and Igashu, friends and constant companions since childhood, will soon perform the tribal ritual of the Bow and the Basket. Choosing the basket means living a domestic life, to be a Two-Spirit, a lover of men. To choose the bow means becoming a provider, the head of the family, and a warrior, if war should come. Both are worthy choices, but for Igashu, his father’s sole surviving son, the obligation to lead his family after his father’s death presses heavily on his heart. Yet if Helki and Igashu choose different paths, their love may not survive.
Review: I really wasn’t expecting much based on the blurb, but boy was I wrong. This story takes you on a journey of discovery. Helki knows what he wants and who he loves but as both boys head into manhood, he knows that Igashu must choose his own path; whether he is included on that path or not. Igashu feels pulled apart as he prepares for his vision quest, he knows how he feels about Helki but he is the last son and feels that he should do his duty to his family.
The description of the area where they lived made me wish I was there and be a part of their journey. As we follow their paths – Igashu hunting the yellow cat, his first contact with white men and the capture of a wild mare and foal, and Helki as he learns to become A Wise One who can learn the secrets of the flame and the ability to Shape Shift into his spirit guide – We learn about their culture, their history and their hopes.
This is a true romance set in another culture that is so poignant without even a single kiss or sex scene. I loved this story so much that I am going to buy Michael Halfhill’s other 3 books.
Title: Gryffon Hall
Title: Shadows & Light 
Title: Blood of the City