Hi guys, we have Mary Rundle stopping by today with the tour for her new audio release Peace Maker, we have a short intro from Mary with an exclusive excerpt, a fantastic $20 Amazon GC and a Blackwood Brothers mug giveaway, so guys, check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Peace Maker
(Blackwood Pack 03)
by
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Mary Rundle
The Blackwood Pack saga continues…
This is part of an on-going series by Amazon Bestselling Author, Mary Rundle, and catching up on previous titles is advised. Readers of the past books will enjoy meeting old friends once more as the pack does what it does best ̶ caring for one another and helping shifters everywhere.
Enforcer Dylon Royd worked for the notorious Silver Point Pack until they accused him of disloyalty. Imprisoned and beaten to within an inch of his life, he’s dumped at the side of a road and left for dead. Waking up in the Blackwood Pack’s hospital, he’s shocked to discover his Fated Mate is one of the pack’s members he’d been ordered to kill.
Cody is a seer and has grappled with visions all his life, but after most of his family is massacred they have intensified so fiercely he begins to make plans to escape his pain and suffering. Thinking no one wants a freak for a Fated Mate, he tries to reject Dylon until he realizes his salvation depends on accepting him.
A life or death situation for Cody, a rare gift to both from the Fates, a dangerous mission, and an unexpected surprise are some of the challenges they face. Together they begin a journey to save Cody’s life while forging a partnership that requires absolute trust for both to survive.
Hi guys, we have Mary Rundle stopping by today with the tour for her new audio release Raphael’s Power, we have a short intro from Mary with an exclusive excerpt, a fantastic $20 Amazon GC and a Cocky Cs mug giveaway, so guys, check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Raphael’s Power
(Blackwood Pack 02)
by
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Mary Rundle
This is part of an ongoing series by Amazon best-selling author Mary Rundle and catching up on previous titles is advised. Listeners or readers of the past books will enjoy meeting old friends once more as the pack does what it does best – caring for one another and helping shifters everywhere.
Dr. Ian Wallace, a rare Scottish wolf, has dedicated his life to saving and healing wolf shifters by joining Frontline Doctors. Determined never to take a mate, he avoids relationships and is content to live a nomadic life, taking assignments to wild and remote places. That is, until an old friend asks him for a favor, which Ian’s wolf will not let him refuse. Now on his way to the Blackwood Pack compound, his wolf becomes frantic, and Ian learns not only that he has a fated mate, but that his fated mate is in danger.
Colton was forced to give up his dreams of becoming a nurse and joining Frontline Doctors when tragedy befell his family. Instead, he healed sick animals around his home while hiding from a pack who wanted him dead. Given the chance to use his skills, Colton seizes it and embarks on a journey that will reveal just how special he is.
A kidnapping, slave auction, revelations of long-kept family secrets, and a rare, powerful gift from the gods are some of the surprises in store for both of them until they finally find their way into each other’s hearts after discovering neither is who the other thought he was.
Hi guys! We have Lorelei M. Hart & Colbie Dunbar popping in with their new release Matched To His Wolf, so check out the post and enjoy! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Matched To His Wolf
(The Dates of Our Lives 01)
by
Lorelei M. Hart & Colbie Dunbar
Fate doesn’t use dating apps to pair true mates…except when it does.
Human Omega Colin Soames has finally made it. Investors are clamoring for his new hit dating app and then things get weird. Now he’s on a mission to figure out who’s co-opting his app and why; by going undercover as a potential date. Little does he know that the oddities he discovered weren’t designed to sabotage the app as he first thought. No. Shifters have figured out a way to use it incognito, and he’s about to go on a date with one. If only he knew shifters existed outside of fiction.
Pack Alpha Bentley Shaw likes being single. He doesn’t have to answer to anyone but his pack. He likes it that way even if he is lonely and even if his wolf is restless. Why bother putting your heart out there if you are only going to get hurt? But one drunken night he lets his Beta talk him into trying the new dating app all the shifters are using—just once. How bad could one date be? It couldn’t be worse than the time he tried to date a human—except that’s exactly what Love and Hate sends him.
Sparks fly, feelings grow, and their worlds are turned upside down in the very best of ways.
Matched To His Wolf is the first book in the sweet with knotty heat Dates of Our Lives M/M Mpreg Shifter Dating App romance brought to you by the popular co-writing duo of Lorelei M Hart and Colbie Dunbar. It features a human who stumbles into a world he never knew existed thanks to a silly little soap opera, an alpha who didn’t want to date—full stop, two powerful men trying to figure out how to come together as one, and an adorable baby. If you like your shifters hawt, your omegas strong, your mpreg with heart, and your HEAs complete with true mates and a bundle of joy, one-click today.
Lorelei M. Hart is the cowriting team of USA Today Bestselling Authors Kate Richards and Ever Coming now joined by their friend, Ophelia Heart. Friends for years, the three decided to come together and write one of their favorite guilty pleasures: Mpreg. There is something that just does it for them about smexy men who love each other enough to start a family together in a world where they can do it the old-fashioned way ;).
My characters are sexy, hot, adorable—and often filthy—alphas and omegas. Feudal lords with dark secrets, lonely omegas running away from their past, and alphas who refuse to commit.
Lurking in the background are kings, mafia dons, undercover agents and highwaymen with a naughty gleam in their eye.
As for me? I dictate my steamy stories with a glass of champagne in one hand. Because why not?
Hi guys, we have Mary Rundle stopping by today with the tour for her new audio release Dire Warning, we have a short intro from Mary with an exclusive excerpt and a fantastic $20 Amazon GC giveaway, so guys, check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Dire Warning
(Blackwood Pack 01)
by
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Mary Rundle
The Blackwood Pack saga begins…
Follow the journey of the Blackwood Pack, seven brothers who are wolf shifters in search of their fated mates – stories about love at first sight with twists and turns, angst and humor, romance and adventure. Each book has two men who meet, fall in love, mate and achieve an HEA but the stories also chronicle the continuing saga of the Blackwood Pack.
For more than 100 years, Steel, one of the last Dire Wolves, has been looking for his mate the Fates promised him. Discouraged after meeting his latest date, he takes a short cut home, seeing in a naked hitchhiker everything he envisions the man of his dreams to be. His wolf and body tell him the man is his fated mate but why can’t he pick up his scent?
Robbed of his car, clothes and money, Jackson, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, is left with no choice but to thumb a lift, frantic to get home to his six brothers. He’s been protecting them from a rival pack who massacred most of his family and wants to finish off the rest. When Steel rolls down his window, Jackson knows he’s found his fated mate but it would be too dangerous to claim him with his pack under attack.
After the intervention of an Oracle and a Witch, Jackson finds the Fates gave him an unusual gift that made him unique– and just for Steel. Navigating the mine field this revelation brings, Jackson and Steel must figure out how to make their relationship work while dealing with external forces determined to kill them and the rest of the Blackwood pack.
Blurb: Meeting your fated mate doesn’t automatically lead to mated bliss.
Sonny is settling into mated life with Leo, but as wonderful as it is, something is missing. While shifters claim their mates with a bite, witches have a whole different set of traditions. He tries to convince himself that he doesn’t need them, but as Imbolc draws closer, Sonny finds himself longing for the handfasting he dreamed of as a child.
Leo and his inner bear are quite content in their mating. Yes, Sonny does seem a little grumpier than usual and he does rant an awful lot about the commercialism of Valentine’s Day overshadowing the Witches’ holiday of Imbolc, but everyone has a bad day once in a while, right?
When Leo suddenly discovers that there is a lot more to mating a witch than claiming him with a bite, he’s shocked at the amount of work ahead of him. Will Leo make the effort to give Sonny what he needs?
Review: I want a bunny dance. Sonny and Leo are mated in the shifter way, but Sonny has always wanted a mating in the witch’s way as well. He just never mentioned it to Leo and didn’t know how. Thankfully Leo’s sister has been paying attention and well it is going to be some fun times.
These guys are the best I have came across in awhile. There is quite a bit of humor in this that makes it stand out even more. Leo’s family is a family I would be proud of. Lets say that Sonny’s mom got what she deserved.
I had a blast reading this and can’t wait to see what the next story has going on. I can guarantee that this is going to be one of those stories read more than once.
Blurb: Finn Sterling is still adjusting to becoming the lieutenant of the blue fleet of Charybdis Station. As an orphan on Cardinal Hold, he never imagined he would have a position of authority as an adult and the trust his friends put in him makes failure impossible. When he is given the monumental task to find a large number of missing Vextonians, he’ll take all the help he can get. When Finn’s journey brings him to his mate, he discovers that finding the missing is only one part of the quest ahead of him.
Aiden Crow has spent the last year consumed with grief and his search for vengeance. When he meets Finn, he knows instantly that the man is his mate, but what could he possibly offer the beautiful, smiling Cardinal? As the search for the missing draw the two men together, Crow realizes that the greatest risk he faces is losing his heart.
Crow and Finn must work together to gather information so they can find the innocent before they are lost forever.
Review:Each book in The Blue Solace collection features a different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and crossover characters, I would recommend reading the series in sequential order.
When Leti and Draif snuck on board of their ship many things have changed and for the good. Now Finn is lieutenant of the blue fleet. Charybdis station took him in many years ago but his life on Cardinal Hold had not been bad. He has now realized the woman that took him in and raised him, was in fact the only mother he had known and loved. She would never let him sell his body but taught him so much more. Now he was to find all of the slaves sold off and he needed the help of a man that stole and sold things.
Crow’s father had been killed because he did not believe those who had been in charge. He had believed all should be free, but Crow had not wanted to follow him. However when his father had been killed, his mother pretty much gave up on life and he wanted revenge. He helped Charybdis Station with details and in fighting. Now he was to help them find the missing slaves. He had not expected to find his mate. A mate that was leading the expedition.
This has been one of my favorite series to read and enjoy. The banter between all of the characters is full of humor and I had a blast with it. The worlds that was created to produce this story was full of energy, excitement, danger, adventure and lets not forget some hot sexy times. Out of all the characters I truly loved Leti, Sebastian, Fire and Beck the most. However Finn has soon become one of those characters. He was a blast to read and his reaction to meeting his mate was funny as hell. Those two trying to protect each other made for an interesting time. Crow was full of anger and hate for many and it did take him time to catch up with his mating, but you could see in him that he wanted it most of all.
I had a blast reading this and can’t wait to get my hands on the next story by this author. I was sad to hear that this will be the last book of this series but knowing that there would be stories that will connect to this was a plus. I can guarantee that this is one of those series that will be read many times over. I would definitely recommend reading this book.
Blurb: Baby, youngest son of Poseidon had started to avoid going anywhere near his family. Between love-struck mates, and tiny children, more and more he was starting to feel as if he just didn’t fit. Anywhere. Abandoned by one father at birth, and pretty much ignored by the other, Baby roamed the world, looking for some kind of acceptance, but all he could find was hook ups. And there were plenty of those. Being the son of Himeros, the god of desire as well, wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. But none of the people he saw for brief moments touched his heart, and most of them never wanted him to stay longer than an hour or two at most.
Owen was known by many names, but the one title he’d spent a long time avoiding was that of “Baby’s mate”. Having known who his mate was from Baby’s birth, Owen had stayed hidden away from life, content to watch his mate through his Oracle stone, until more than a thousand years had past. When the destructive behavior he believed Baby was falling into got worse, Owen knew it was time to step in. Baby needed a fixer, and the Fates had given Owen the job.
But Baby didn’t want to be fixed. In fact, he resented the very idea, which meant Owen needed to make a few attitude adjustments. As the two men bumbled along, struggling to find common ground with each other long enough to make a mating work, they weren’t getting any support from Poseidon, Claude or Himeros. When Baby gets another shock, he seriously starts to think hiding in an isolated cave somewhere was a good idea. The question is – will he take Owen with him?
Review: Baby is Poseidon and Himeros son but you would not be able to tell it. Himeros is one hell of a selfish man, dumping him on Poseidon as a new born. He only came around lately because his son is as beautiful as always and the people wanted him. Where as Poseidon was a man whore until he met his fated mate. Even then he still is not warm and cuddly to his older sons. He was a child not raised in warmth or loving arms, abandoned and ignored. He just wanted someone to love him. Instead it caused fights and tempers to rail. Then a god older than even he could conceive showed up and told him they were fated mates. That Owen knew they were fated mates for over a thousand years. Imagine what that does to Baby.
Owen is a god and powerful one. He has always been alone except for one other. He knew from the moment Baby had been born that he was his. However time gets away from even a god, now he has a lot of making up for.
A lot of people said that this was going to be quite different then the others in this series, but truthfully I did not see it. Baby was as sweet as always and lets face it his fathers needed their heads knocked into the wall. They couldn’t even give him a true name, just the baby of the family, so it stuck. I did like Owen but even he needed to be knocked upside the head a few times. I liked how they stood up for each other and to each other.
I had a lot of fun reading this and look forward to the next story. I can guarantee that this will be read many times over. In fact I think I will read it again now. Baby times three is a good ending.
Blurb: Jason and Vale are back in this side story set in the Heat of Love universe!
A romantic getaway turns dramatic when an unexpected heat descends on Vale, leaving Jason with no choice but to act. The resulting pregnancy is dangerous for Vale and terrifying for Jason, but with the help of friends and family, they choose to embrace their uncertain future. Together they find all the love, joy, and heat they need to guide them through!
While this story follows the characters from Slow Heat, it will be most enjoyable if read directly after Alpha Heat, as it takes place contemporaneously with that book.
This is a gay romance novella by Leta Blake, consisting of 50,000 words of bonus material with a strong happy ending for the characters of Jason and Vale from Slow Heat. This bonus story is set in a critically acclaimed, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting.
Review: Bitter Heat is the third book in Leta Blake’s Heat of Love series and is told from the perspective of Vale and Jason, who got together in the first book of this series (Slow Heat).
The events in this book start in book two, where it was told from the perspective of Xan, Urho and Caleb, but it is truly part of the story of Jason and Vale. As Blake writes, this book can been read after either the first or second book but it fits better after the second book. If you’ve at least read the first book in this series, Bitter Heat is a must.
I’ve been loving this series. I really liked the depth and character development Blake showed in her writing back in book one and that is something I’ve continued to see throughout this series. If anyone is interested in m-preg and has never tried reading anything yet, this is a good series to start with. The complex characters, deep emotions and rich development had me glued to my ereader.
This book is an Omegaverse book – which is where for one reason or another certain men (the Omegas) have developed the ability to become pregnant. However, since this a relatively recent change in human physiology, pregnancy for men is possibly more dangerous for the men than it had been on women. Due to these limitations, it also means that there are very strict laws dictating how omegas can deal with pregnancy (these laws are analogous to conservative anti-abortion laws which are being shown on the media now).
And that leads us to the continuation of Jason and Vale’s story. Jason and Vale have been together for a few years now and their relationship is strong. Jason is careful when it comes to Vale’s heats – not only is Vale a couple years off of 40, meaning pregnancy has an added factor of danger – but Vale has gone through some true horrors which means that even when he was younger he firmly believed that he could not have children. Jason’s parents have also recently renovated a cabin belonging to Vale, which had been his parents when they were alive. Vale and Jason came the decision to sell the cabin, as it is they already live modestly in the home Vale’s parents owned in the city. However, a blizzard and an unexpected heat – meaning that they did have access to enough birth control – means that Jason gets Vale pregnant.
Vale’s omega instincts and advice from his best friend and trusted doctor, Urho, gives Vale the courage to see if he can go through with the pregnancy to full term, knowing that there is every possibility he could die. As it is the omega laws make it next to impossible to access an abortion, even when the life of the omega father may hang in the balance. On the other hand Jason is afraid. He loves the idea of being a father, but after being with Vale for the past few years he came to terms with never becoming a father, not wanting to risk Vale’s life.
The couple face a difficult pregnancy, which is made more difficult when a influenza epidemic takes hold. Adding further danger to Vale’s pregnancy, a lot of medicine is ineffective at stopping the spread and the deaths from the flu (antibiotic resistance, I really like how Blake takes little elements like this and weaves them into the book). However, with both Vale and Jason ready and willing to support their friends (Uroho, Xan and Caleb), they find some measure of safety during the pregnancy.
Blurb: A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.
Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy-ever-after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.
Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart—and so does he.
But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.
This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It’s 130,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a well-crafted, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.
Review: Alpha Heat is the second book in Leta Blake’s Heat of Love series. It takes place a couple years after the first book and there are some ongoing plot lines which makes this best to read the series in order.
After really enjoying the first book of this series I really looking forward to continuing on with the series. I really like the depth and character development Blake showed in her writing back in book one. On top of that, I have discovered a relatively recent interest for reading m-pregs. M-preg is a pretty niche sub-genre in the MM world, and so it goes without saying that if you don’t like m-pregs or it doesn’t pique your interest enough to give it a go, this isn’t the books for you.
This book is an Omegaverse book – which is where for one reason or another certain men (the Omegas) have developed the ability to become pregnant. Despite not being a shapeshifter or paranormal m-preg, we still get the interesting connection between alphas and omegas which allows men to sense their true mate. In this world women became infertile and eventually died out, forcing humanity to adapt, hence the omegas. However, since this a relatively recent change in human physiology, pregnancy for men is possibly more dangerous for the men than it had been on women. Due to these limitations, it also means that there are very strict laws dictating how omegas can deal with pregnancy (these laws are analogous to conservative anti-abortion laws which are being shown on the media now).
However, this current deals with complexities of alphas and shows that alphas that find pleasure in being dominated rather than dominating an omega. Xan is one of those alphas and society tells him that he has to be ashamed of what he is – his desires cause gossip because many traditionalist believed that men with his desires are not real alphas.
Xan has struggled his since best friend, ex-lover and alpha mated an older omega a few years prior. He has struggled with society gossip of him being “unmanned” – the term for an alpha who needs to be dominated which is seen as unnatural. But he is part of an odd little friendship group that involves the alpha who had once upon a time helped his best friend’s Omega through painful heats. Pressure from his family and luck led him to entering a mating contract with an omega who was gossiped about in society.
Caleb is an omega with a secret of his own. Unlike his mate, Caleb accepts who is and has gone years being known as a frigid omega. However, other than going through heats where his hormones take over, and even wanting have a child of his own, Caleb does not experience sexual attraction as a “good omega should”. This gives the pair two problems. Xan needs to seek physical need for another alpha elsewhere, and because of how he is, Xan cannot physically fulfil Caleb’s needs when he is in heat.
This is where alpha Urho Chase steps in. He is a doctor who has compassion in spades. He finds it abhorrent that omegas must go through pregnancy because the law it geared towards omegas pumping out babies and boosting the population. He has been in mourning for years for his omega mate and son who had died. Yet he isn’t living in the past. He has “helped” a number of omegas through their painful heats which are only relieved by having sex with powerful alphas. His best friend, Vale being one of the many omegas he has helped. Urho finds it difficult to reconcile his attraction and acceptance for another alpha, when it comes to Xan’s desires and needs. Yet he feels protective of the omega who exists in the body of an alpha. And when he finds Xan hurt, he needs to help.
Much like the first book, these characters are all just a tad different and will intrigue some readers that want something a little more different than the normal. Because yes, even in the Omegaverse there are a lot of common tropes. First off, we get the same issues with an age gap between the alpha and the omega, where there is an older omega although the age difference isn’t quite so pronounced as in book 1. The omega involved identifies as something close to asexuality (maybe I’ve interpreted that wrong but that’s how I see it), while the alpha is ashamed as he needs another alpha to sexually dominate him. And while this isn’t truly a ménage relationship – there is something similar to one going on here.
Overall, this makes for some very interesting dynamics and brings together an unconventional mating/family that really does work. There are exploding sparks of sexual attraction between Urho and Xan, and yet there is also a deep affection between and love between Xan and Caleb, with affection slowly growing between Urho and Caleb. Urho and Caleb start out together for their united desire to help Xan, but you can feel that there is an emotional connection between them much like the one between Xan and Caleb. This is truly a complex story line with a lot going on and I loved it.
Blurb: Best Christmas gift ever: Finding out dragons exist and one of them is your fated mate.
Kymar Weary from centuries spent searching for my mate, I hid away in a mountain cabin until an offer from a friend leads me to the most exquisite omega I have ever seen. From the moment our eyes meet, all I want is to make him mine. A well-timed storm leaves him stranded in my lair, but when the snow melts, he insists on returning to his human life. I’m convinced we’re fated for one another. Can I make this stubborn young man believe it too?
Holden I rode on a dragon’s back. A real, live dragon. In his human form, Kymar is so gorgeous I can hardly breathe around him. I’m drawn to him by a force too strong to ignore, but, magical creature or not, I can’t get involved with him. Happiness never lasts. I’ve learned that lesson again and again. After I walk away, my longing to return grows worse every day until I start to wonder if I can find to courage to believe what my heart and my dragon say is true—Kymar and I are meant to be together.
Review: The Snow Dragon’s Mate is the second book in Silvia Violet’s Lonely Dragons Club series. The books works as a standalone, although we met both MC’s in book one and we also have a few scenes with them as well. However, by and large this is the romance of Kymar and Holden.
I like the premise, which is a group of dragons who are about 1000 years old all long for their mates, living rather solitary lives except when they get together on occasion. With the coming Christmas season gives at least a couple of dragons hope for their HEA. This is a totally enjoyable read for anyone that likes shifters and m-preg but not looking for anything too heavy. This is just purely a romance without no angst.
Like with the first book, this is a relatively quick holiday read and you read in the blurb is essentially what you get, so I’m not going to get into too many details.
I totally loved the first book in this series and quickly had to read this one as well. Honestly, I can’t wait for book three either. If you are intrigued by a Christmas story with an alpha shifter and his omega human mate and throw in some M-preg then you should probably give this one a go. The only word of advice I will give is to those that don’t like insta-love (i.e. the whole fated mate thing in shifter romances) or pushy alpha getting their omega partner into bed. Although, I will admit that Holden is refreshing in that he does push back against the mate bond.
Kymar and Holden meet by chance. Kymar has been asked by his friend Laszlo to pick up a pesky, clingy omega (not Holden) and Holden is checking up on his best friend after Roman had gone off with an alpha he didn’t know (totally against his usual behaviour). Holden is definitely intrigued and instantly attracted to Kymar when he learns about dragon shape shifters by chance in a baptism of fire. Kymar is equally intrigued by Holden, but being a dragon he is sure that there is more between them than simple attraction. Holden isn’t adverse to one night stands and so he is happy to go and spend the night with Kymar. The only problem that Kymar really has is that he has to convince that this isn’t a one time thing and that they have something very important between them.
Blurb: A lustful young alpha meets his match in an older omega with a past.
Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-thirties, he’s long since given up hope that he’ll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He’s fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends.
When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can’t be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.
But for Vale, being with Jason means giving up his independence and placing his future in the hands of an untested alpha–as well as facing the scars of his own tumultuous past. He isn’t sure it’s worth it. But Jason isn’t giving up his destined mate without a fight.
This is a gay romance novel, 118,000 words, with a strong happy ending, as well as a well-crafted, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. Content warning for pregnancy loss and aftermath.
Review: Slow Heat is the first book in Leta Blake’s Heat of Love series.
I’m not overly familiar with Blake’s work. I’ve read one other book by her, and that one wasn’t even m-preg (male pregnancy). But I have discovered a relatively recent interest for reading m-pregs. M-preg is a pretty niche sub-genre in the MM world, and so it goes without saying that if you don’t like m-pregs or it doesn’t pique your interest enough to give it a go, this isn’t the books for you.
However, I have heard good things about this series and I looked forward to reading it. Something else that I think will interest people is that not only does this story feature a couple with an age gap (about 12 years?), it is the omega who is the older of the couple, rather than the alpha. This is something common in May- December type romances of any genre, the perceived weaker character, or the bottom, is usually younger than the dominant partner.
This book is an Omegaverse book – which is where for one reason or another certain men (the Omegas) have developed the ability to become pregnant. Despite not being a shapeshifter or paranormal m-preg, we still get the interesting connection between alphas and omegas which allows men to sense their true mate. In this world women became infertile and eventually died out, forcing humanity to adapt, hence the omegas. However, since this a relatively recent change in human physiology, pregnancy for men is possibly more dangerous for the men than it had been on women. Due to these limitations, it also means that there are very strict laws dictating how omegas can deal with pregnancy (these laws are analogous to conservative anti-abortion laws which are being shown on the media now).
The story starts with young alpha Jason Sabel. Jason is from a very well to do family and is the only child of his alpha and omega fathers. His fathers are quite traditional too. So things get interesting when Jason, while on campus of his university, finds the omega that is his true mate.
The complication is that this omega, Vale Aman, is a thirty-something year old professor who has never found his alpha mate. Vale also has an interesting and mysterious past, which he still needs to come to terms with, as well as come clean to Jason. Although nothing seems to be stopping Jason.
Courting the older omega according to tradition is a steep learning curve for the twenty-something year old alpha. On top of that, finding his mate means that he is also discovering some truths when it comes to omegas and their physiology that allows for pregnancy. Being so young, Vale doesn’t want to tie Jason to a relationship where if he could even get pregnant could kill Vale, if not any child as well. Jason needs to convince Vale and it seems his friends and parents, that Vale is the man that Jason needs in his life.
This is a fantastic start to the series. I loved the two characters, their differences (and not just their ages) make them fascinating and their sparking attraction is on point. I like that there isn’t any strong feeling of insta-love, there is even talk that the men won’t suit, so we get to see the relationship evolve in a more believable manner. The emotion that develops between and the complexity of their friendships makes their courtship realistic despite having the true mate connection.
Blurb: Juan Vega lives in a town full of loving families and happy couples. As he watches his best friends fall in love, he can’t help but wish for his own omega. He’s been in love with Jackson since he met him, but it doesn’t look like there will ever be a future for them. When Bennett Wilson urges Juan to make a Christmas wish, everything changes.
Jackson Potts may be young, but he has plenty of experience with overbearing, abusive alphas. After watching the way his own biological alpha grandfather and father treated their omegas, Jackson swears he will never date an alpha. He knows there are good alphas out there, but he can’t bring himself to trust his own heart to any, even his own friend. The problem is, a certain alpha is very hard to resist.
With a little holiday luck, these two men may just find happiness.
Review: Juan and Jackson are best friends, but both of them want more. Jackson had not had a good experience with alphas so he was terrified of trusting one. However in his heart he wanted Juan. Juan has always loved Jackson but was afraid of going any further, then Jackson kissed him.
This is one of those stories where you have alphas and omegas, however they don’t change into an animal. I have never been a fan of paranormals that are only that way because the omega can get pregnant. However this author is different. She makes them funny as hell and the characters are ones that you will definitely fall in love. Now if I had a way I would definitely beat the tar out of Juan’s alpha father, what an ass. I would have liked to hear more about Jackson’s pregnancy though.
I love a good story that will have me in stitches. There is a serious tone to it but it is over powered by the funny parts. Who knew that llama’s belonged in the house.
I had a blast reading this and can’t wait to get my hands on the next story. This is one of those stories that will be read many times over.
Lux has tried to deny his gift for electricity his entire life, but when he meets Merek and sparks fly literally, he can’t deny it any longer.
He jumps head first into being a dragon’s mate, but will Fate be enough to hold them together when the odds are stacked against them?
A need to protect…
Merek has failed to keep those he loves safe before, and he cannot let that happen again, not when his mate’s life is in danger.
He cannot prepare for his life with his mate and unborn child until the dragons and their families are safe from Molpe. Taking down Molpe becomes his only focus.
Review: Lux has so many things pulling him into so many directions. He has a mate but is hesitant about mating, but damn if the dragon isn’t fine. He has had a gift his entire life, but he tries so hard to deny it. But they were getting stronger ever since he met Merek. Merek feels that he has let so many down that it is causing problems with his mating. He wants to protect his mate but he needs a good swipe to the head.
It would be an amazing story had it been more developed. It was too short which was a bit disappointing, however it still gave a lot to like. I didn’t care for Marek and his attitude though.
The story starts in a weird place and if you haven’t read the previous books it does get confusing. The problem for me was that they were not as memorable as they should have. I know I read the other stories but can’t remember a one. Which is a bad sign for me. Other than my issues with it, it is still a good story.
Blurb: Dover Rees is a guppy tailed merman and the youngest child of the King of the Southern Silver Isles. Despite the lofty title, he fits in better with the other guppy tailed working class than with his royal siblings. Dover spends his days secluded in his creek, successfully avoiding the King’s court and all the judgmental nobles there. Then, the most wonderous and horrible thing happens. He hears the mating call and knows his alpha is waiting for him. Ben Elliot is just a human trying to get by in a small tourist beach town. He has his art and a few good friends, and that should be enough, right? Wrong. Coming home to a quiet house and an empty bed starts to wear on him, but none of the omegas he knows appeal to him. Until a storm knocks him off his fishing boat and he’s rescued by a mysterious, blue-haired omega.
Together, Dover and Ben forge a bond strong enough to stand against the storm of corrupt lords, court politics, and a cursed king.
Review: Dover is unusual in his own family. He was born with a guppy tail where as his siblings were not. They were all princes and princesses but still most of them gave him hell for being different. Then there was the curse that one of the children would kill their king but there has to be away to stop it. He was suppose to marry an aristocrat set up by his parents, but he has the mating call.
Ben is a human living in the United States among many different types of paranormal. He knows a few stories but he has never been prepared for finding a very sexy blue tail. Many things are going their way but there is a secret evil heading their way, or maybe not so secret.
I have never been a fan of mermen shifter stories but this author has created several different types to throw into her story. I liked how the main ones are separated into three groups so that you know which ones are leading and which ones are not. It however does have a downside as well. There are so many different characters that it is a bit hard to figure out who is who. Also the name of the chicken seems to change which means more editing is needed. It however is full of humor in it that I find amazing. Love a tale that has a lot of humor in them to keep me laughing.
I liked Dover quite a bit more than everyone else. He has a childlike attitude and is amazed at so many things. They live in a world that has fancy cars but you would not know it from the way he is. Also there is Ben’s art, it is not worth making at first but then damn if he is not sought out to make more. His brother’s names are so close to gather that it is sometimes difficult to remember who is who which is not a good idea in my eyes. I had trouble figuring them out.
Overall the story rocked quite a bit with me. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next story. I can guarantee that this is one of those stories that will be read many times over.
Blurb: Best Surprise Ever: Going out to add to your Christmas hoard and finding your fated mate.
Laszlo I’ve been longing to find my mate for over a thousand years. When I see him for the first time, he’s standing beneath sparkling glass ornaments, like a present waiting to be unwrapped. A present I intend to lay claim to.
If I can lure him back to my lair, I’ll shower him with so many gifts he’ll never want to leave. Bonded with my mate by Christmas? Yes, please.
Roman I’m no good at flirting and have terrible luck with men, so when a gorgeous alpha says he wants to take me home, I’m shocked. And wary. My heat is about to start, and I’ve never shared it with anyone, so why do I suddenly want to say yes to this stranger?
There’s something unusual about him, the way his eyes shine, the odd phrases he keeps using. He says he wants to add me to his collection of beautiful things. I should be offended, but instead, I’m intrigued. Just this once, should I take a risk?
Review: The Christmas Dragon’s Mate is the first book in Silvia Violet’s Lonely Dragons Club series. I like the premise, which is a group of dragons who are about 1000 years old all long for their mates, living rather solitary lives except when they get together on occasion. With the coming Christmas season gives at least a couple of dragons hope for their HEA. This is a totally enjoyable read for anyone that likes shifters and m-preg but not looking for anything too heavy. This is just purely a romance without no angst.
I’m not super familiar with Violet’s work. However, a Christmas story, an alpha shifter and his omega human mate and throw in some M-preg… I was totally down for this. The only word of advice I will give is to those that don’t like insta-love (i.e. the whole fated mate thing in shifter romances) or pushy alpha getting their omega partner into bed.
This is a relatively quick holiday read. What you read in the blurb is essentially what you get, so I’m not going to get into too many details.
Dragons are well known for guarding their hoards. Laszlo is no exception to this rule. He loves the glittery and sparkle of Christmas, it is his favourite time of year. It is the one human festival that he loves. So he goes to a small gift shop in the town near his home, knowing he wanted to buy some glass baubles. This is how he meets his mate, a human omega called Roman. Laszlo has to fight his dragon, who wants to claim his mate as soon as possible, so that his mate won’t run screaming. He lures Roman to his lair and that’s when things heat up!
Genre: Holiday, Paranormal, M-Preg, The Twelve Days of Christmas
Length: Short (78pgs)
Publisher: eXtasy Books (December 6, 2019)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 3.75 Hearts
Blurb: Would serenading be enough to convince a mate they were meant to be?
Cole Burns doesn’t suffer the cold or feeling the holiday spirit, but dreams of having a family by thirty, preferably with two or three children, are slowly fading into the fog of winter. It’s a sad, sad situation he cannot seem to escape.
For John Michael Diamond, being CEO of Diamond Corporation equates to never finding the perfect mate to share his nest. In fact, it’s next to impossible. Through a twist of fate, he discovers his mate not only lives nearby but is on his family’s estate.
Cole never thought he’d fall for such a crazy, insanely gorgeous rich guy, and yet here he is, wrapped in shifter eagle who serenades him with love songs. This is going to be an interesting Christmas.
Review: CEO Michael gets a call about a hacker on his way home for the holidays. His assistant Giles tells him that Cole Burns, who works from his home is perfect the job and living close by. As fate would have it Michael and Cole are mates.
There is some uncertainty between the two after Michael explains things and Cole for his part tries to process everything. I liked the story.
Blurb: Jude Pearson is nearly killed twice, and now all he wants is to be left alone. But his ex-coven leader has different plans. He’s hired an assassin to kill Jude for something Jude had no control over. Things become worse when Deputy Roy Benton invites Jude out, and Jude reluctantly accepts the invitation. He has no clue his mate is the cook at the tavern. There was just one problem. Reese detests vampires.
Reese Baas lost his little brother to a vampire attack a decade ago, and the pain is still fresh. When a panicked man runs into the kitchen at the tavern, Reese is shocked to find out Jude is his mate. Jude also has trouble on his heels, and Reese is torn between helping his mate and walking away. The decision is taken out of his hands when Jude becomes pregnant and the assassin closes in on them.
Review: Each book in the Maple Grove collection features a new romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc I would suggest reading them in sequential order. This story is connect to the Brac Pack series, which has many branched off series.
Jude is a sweet heart of a vampire. He has not had an easy life. He had almost been killed twice and one of those times was by his own uncle. He had killed that asshat but now his family wanted him dead. When a friend asks him to hang out with him, it leads him to someone he had not expected, his mate.
Reese is a rhino shifter who like many rhino’s has a temper but manages to keep it down. It would seem his mate had a way of driving him crazy though. What neither expected was Jude to become pregnant.
Pretty interesting story going on with this one. I have always liked reading this author’s work and have not been let down. It always has a serious tone to it but there is so much humor in it one would not expect it. It caught my attention from the start and kept it all the way to the end.
I had a blast reading it and look forward to reading the next story. I can guarantee that it will be read many times over.
Blurb: The only way out of Pine Hollow was to mate the alpha who didn’t want him.
Adam knew bounty hunting in another pack’s territory had risks, but being at the end of a shotgun for a forced mating was not one he expected. At least it wasn’t permanent. Once he paid the promised cut of the bounty the leader of Pine Hollow would dissolve the mating. Adam just needed to keep his hands (and his teeth) away from the enticing omega.
Ricky knew nothing about the outside world, but he knew his days at Pine Hollow were numbered. The barren, widowed omega’s best chance for survival was to find a mate at Lone Wolves Ranch. Anyone would do. Anyone but the ornery wolf who bit him. Adam said he didn’t want a mate, so why was he acting like a knot-blocker?
The Shifter’s Shotgun Mating is the second book in the Lone Wolves Ranch series of slow-burn M/M shifter Mpreg stories. It can be read as a stand-alone though secondary character’s lives continue from The Cub Club.
Review: Adam is part of a bounty team of paranormal’s for hire. Adam is fierce and loves his job. He’s on a mission to take in Gus, a known murderer. When he travels through Pine Hollow the local alpha insist he take someone with them so they can collect some of the reward as well since they will be in their territory. Things go bad when that person, Rock is killed. Adam and a few of his crew are injured and the alpha of Pine Hollow insists that he mate Ricky, Rock’s widow until they catch Gus.
I understood Adam’s anger at being forced to mate against his will. I even understood his reservations about Ricky’s omega gifts. However I could not condone or understand his treatment of Ricky. He was downright mean to the man. It was not his fault they were mated. It was not his fault that Rock was killed and Adam had to pay the price.
I was glad Ricky got out of the situation with Pine Hollow. I genuinely felt his amazement at the world past Pine Hollow considering he never stepped foot outside their territory. It tickled me how Adam would get jealous at the other wolves around Ricky. it was just what he needed to see what was right in front of him and to stop fighting his feelings.
Fantastic read with plenty of laughs, romance and action.
Blurb: What would you do if your adopted son shifted into a wolf cub before your eyes?
For single dad Steven the choice was simple – find the boy’s family and hope they had the answers.
As the alpha of Lone Wolves Ranch, Mack trusted in humans as much as he trusted in love. Not at all. But he had a soft spot for the brave human searching for his son’s relatives. When he discovers Steven is his fated mate, he’s stuck between a soft spot and a hard place.
The Cub Club is a gay wolf shifter romance containing Mpreg and knotting. A complete 65,000-word novel – no cliffhanger!
Steven’s husband had came across an infant and his dead mother, brought the child home, fought to keep him and raise him. They were a happy family until Steven’s husband passed away in an accident. Now thirteen years later Steven is in for one more big shock. His son has changed into a wolf cub. He needs to find his son’s birth family to find out what to do.
Humans have never been trusted nor allowed on the ranch. So when Steven showed up asking for help, Mack is tempted to run him off. That is until he realizes that the man is telling the truth. Then he realizes that Steven is also a wolf that can’t change, a recessive.
This story started off with what I had assumed would be an excellent story. However the alpha of the pack couldn’t stop lying to save his life, hid quite a bit and just made a mess of things. There was little to no heat between them both, however the author paired them up. The sex between them was suppose to be hot but it came off dull and dry. The knotting was the only thing exciting and even then it fell in delivery. It was hard to connect with any of them. Even the son’s reaction to his own father was wrong. There was little humor in it which to me makes a story pop out to me, but nope very little.
You don’t really get the recessive definition until a bit later in the story. However it is well written but didn’t stand out to me. The characters also fell a bit flat. Then there was Mack’s grandmother, she pretty much gave me the creeps through out. Also you get the title, Cub Club, but you don’t see it until almost the end of the story and even then you only see the guys for a few pages. Steven’s husband dies in an accident but you find a different solution later on, but just a mere mention of it. This story just left a lot of questions and very little answers. I did like Steven more than anyone else.
This is the first book by this author and while the story had a great promise, it failed to deliver. To much detail for a story when most could have been left out, mainly the ex. So I am sorry to say that this story was not for me.
Shorty’s Review 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts:
Steven gets the shock of his life one day when his adopted son Peter shifts into a wolf. Not one to back down from a challenge Seven goes to the Lone Wolves Ranch for help where he meets Mack. Mack the alpha of the Lone Wolves Ranch assumes Steven is there to unload Peter on them. He is proven wrong by Stevens fierce determination to be thee for his son.
I liked the story. I thought it was great Steven was no pushover. I did not understand Mack’s need to lie to Steven. He should have explained everything upfront. Mack’s ex was a piece of work who I was surprised the pack let back in for a short tie given all that happened in the past.
All in all it was an intriguing story with humor, some angst, action and a whole lot of twists and turns with enjoyable characters that made for an amazing start to the series. I am looking forward to getting to know the lone wolves ranch pack better with each book that comes out. Fantastic read.
Blurb: Hunter always expected to be the next Alpha of the Rolling Hills Pack until he had to walk away, leaving behind his dream, forced to build a new life for himself and his brothers. Arriving with them to visit his cousins at the Blackwood Pack, he never expects to find his mate there, but when he catches his scent, it’s impossible for him to concentrate on anything else, including a secret he has that will change his cousins’ lives.
From the moment Hunter meets Jackson, tempers flare between the two Alphas as their anger builds about secrets both are keeping. Their distrust of each other grows yet they must struggle to find common ground due to their mutual responsibilities toward Hunter’s mate.
Fionn, a rare white dragon, has fought hard for his independence, believing it will protect him from relatives who want to seize his hoard. As a recent member of the Blackwood Pack, he looks forward to sharing the future with his new family. That is, until he realizes he has a mate. Needing time to sort out his feelings, he flees to his hoard, hiding from Hunter who impatiently waits for him.
Together, Fionn and Hunter must put aside past hurts and disappointments as they try to forge a new world for themselves while facing a dangerous threat to Fionn…and to the rest of the Blackwood Pack.
Review: Each book in the Blackwood Pack collection features a new romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc I would suggest reading them in sequential order.
Hunter’s mother trusted him with her visions right before she passed on. His aunt had shown up in bad shape a few years before but now she was dying. Her family, she believed had been killed. He was to take her to her son’s. He had not expected the shock of what was going to happen nor the shock of finding his mate.
Fionn is a very rare dragon, so rare only one is born at a time. He was a white dragon gifted from the gods. He was also only eighteen and had not been free from his father’s evilness for very long. Now he has found his mate. To top it off danger is coming their way.
This is one of those stories that need to be read back to back and in order. It gets pretty jumbled with all the characters and their story mixed in. I felt like I had been missing quite a bit when I first started reading the story. It is also a very long winded story that made it even more confusing then ever. It is a very entertaining and interesting story however and did manage to keep my attention. I can admit though I have no clue in what direction the story is headed. The characters were not a big hit with me but their shifter animals were. I just couldn’t figure out whether or not I liked them.
I will admit though I didn’t much care for the cover. It did not show any connection at all with the characters just a sex appeal. I didn’t really think about reading it due to the fact of the cover. However that is on me. I will also admit that it took a while for me to be in the story to even remember the previous ones.
Over all the story was interesting and the world was quite unique. I enjoyed the story and can’t wait to see where it goes.
