Hiya guys! We have Rhys Ford visiting today with the tour for her new release Bound, we have a brilliant guest post from Rhys, and we have an amazing $20 GC giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Bound
(Chinatown Demons 01)
by
Rhys Ford
Chinatown, San Francisco.
A different place — another time— and where the city’s streets keep secrets, shadowy mysteries SFPD Inspector Spencer Ricci needs to dig through after he finds himself on a case involving a dismembered, mummified man in a restaurant’s locked storage room.
Spencer drags around a lot of baggage, including an ongoing battle with the bottle and a long career as an LAPD detective he’d set fire to in a blaze of booze-soaked mistakes. San Francisco is supposed to be a new start but his old ghosts haunt him, beckoning him back into his self-destructive bad habits. Bad habits that include contemplating doing dirty things with the wrong kind of guy and this time, it’s a sleek, cold-tempered medical examiner named Xian Carter with a complicated reputation.
For a century-old demon, Xian Carter is content with his secretive life. Hiding his nature from the mundane world, he blends in with the city’s inhabitants as best he can but even the best of predators make mistakes. Delving into the mysteries of the dead provide a welcome distraction from endless nights and hiding in plain sight amuses him, until something supernaturally wicked comes knocking on his door with an extremely hot, broody Inspector close behind.
Murder makes for strange bedfellows and this one is no exception. The twists and turns of the case leaves Xian and Spencer on a wild goose chase after clues but Xian can only hope there’s a human at the end of the trail—because the last thing San Francisco needs is another predator.
Hi guys! We have T.A. Moore, Rhys Ford, Bru Baker & Jenn Moffatt popping in today with the tour for Bad, Dad and Dangerous we have a brilliant guest post from Bru Baker, a great excerpt and a fantastic $10 Amazon GC giveaway so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Bad, Dad and Dangerous
Anthology
by
T.A. Moore, Rhys Ford, Bru Baker & Jenn Moffatt
When the kids are away, the monsters will play.
School’s out for summer, and these dads are ready to ship their kids off to camp. Not just because their kids are monsters—whose aren’t?—but because they’re ready for some alone time to let their hair down and their fangs out. You see, not only are the kids monsters—their dads are too.
Even the most dangerous of creatures has a soft spot. These bad, dangerous dads love their kids to death, but they need romance.
Every year, for a few short weeks, these hot men with a little extra in their blood get to be who they truly are. And this year, life has a surprise for them. Whether they be mage, shifter, vampire, or changeling, these heartbreakingly handsome dads might be looking to tear up the town… but they’ll end up falling in love. All it takes is the right man to bring them to their knees.
MONSTER HALL PASS BY BRU BAKER
White-collar dad Hugh Whitby dotes on his adopted daughter, but she’s away at camp. Now it’s time let the vampiric urges he so tightly controls run wild and take advantage of his monster hall pass to feed on criminals. But when fae prince Rykoff of Harlow interrupts Hugh feeding, he catches Hugh’s daughter’s scent and vows to avenge the fae youngling he believes Hugh has captured.
Hugh had no idea his daughter wasn’t human, and it rocks the foundation of his world. He must convince Rykoff that the fae youngling in question is safe with her vampire dad and can prosper in the mortal realm—or risk losing her forever.
Hiya guys! We have Rhys Ford visiting today with the tour for her new release ‘Nother Sip of Gin, we have a brilliant guest post from Rhys, and we have an amazing $20 GC giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
‘Nother Sip of Gin
(A Sinners Gin Anthology)
by
Rhys Ford
For Crossroads Gin rock stars Miki, Damien, Rafe, and Forest, life is a Möbius strip of music, mayhem, and murder. Through it all, the sweet, hot moments between tours with lovers, friends, and family keep them sane, healthy, and happy. This Sinners collection features short stories spanning the entire series, from before the first note to after the lights go out.
Hiya guys! We have Rhys Ford visiting today with the tour for her new release Silk Dragon Salsa, we have a brilliant guest post from Rhys, we also have Part 6 of Finding His Place, A Kai Gracen short story , we have an amazing $20 GC giveaway and my review, so check out the post and enter the giveaway ❤️ ~Pixie~
Silk Dragon Salsa
(Kai Gracen 04)
by
Rhys Ford
SoCalGov Stalker Kai Gracen always knew Death walked in his shadow. Enough people told him that, including his human mentor, Dempsey. Problem was, the old man never told him what to do when Death eventually caught up.
Where Tanic, his elfin father and the Wild Hunt Master of the Unsidhe Court, brought Kai pain and suffering, Dempsey gave him focus and a will to live… at least until everything unraveled. Now caught in a web of old lies and half-truths, Kai is torn between the human and elfin worlds, unsure of who he is anymore. Left with a hollowness he can’t fill, Kai aches to find solace in the one elfin he trusts—a Sidhe Lord named Ryder—but he has unfinished business with Dempsey’s estranged brother, a man who long ago swore off anything to do with the feral elfin child Dempsey dragged up from the gutter.
Reeling from past betrayals, Kai searches for Dempsey’s brother, hoping to do right by the man who saved him while trying to keep ahead of the death haunting his every step. Kai never thought he’d find love or happiness as a Stalker, but when Death comes knocking at his door, Kai discovers a fierce need to live life to the fullest—even if that means turning his back on the people he calls family.
Hiya guys! We have Rhys Ford visiting today with the tour for her new release Back In Black, we have a brilliant guest post from Rhys which has an excerpt and an amazing audio excerpt of Nothing Else Matters: Part Eight, and we have an amazing $25 GC giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway ❤️ ~Pixie~ PS keep an eye out for my review coming soon!
Back In Black
(McGinnis Investigations 01)
by
Rhys Ford
There are eight million stories in the City of Angels but only one man can stumble upon the body of a former client while being chased by a pair of Dobermans and a deranged psycho dressed as a sheep.
That man is Cole McGinnis.
Since his last life-threatening case years ago, McGinnis has married the love of his life, Jae-Min Kim, consulted for the LAPD, and investigated cases as a private detective for hire. Yet nothing could have prepared him for the shocking discovery of a dead, grandmotherly woman at his feet and the cascade of murders that follows, even if he should have been used to it by now.
Now he’s back in the dark world of murder and intrigue where every bullet appears to have his name on it and every answer he digs up seems to only create more questions. Hired by the dead woman’s husband, McGinnis has to figure out who is behind the crime spree. As if the twisted case of a murdered grandmother isn’t complicated enough, Death is knocking on his door, and each time it opens, Death is wearing a new face, leaving McGinnis to wonder who he can actually trust.
Blurb: Ever since being part of the pot in a high-stakes poker game, elfin outcast Kai Gracen figures he used up his good karma when Dempsey, a human Stalker, won the hand and took him in. Following the violent merge of Earth and Underhill, the human and elfin races are left with a messy, monster-ridden world, and Stalkers are the only cavalry willing to ride to someone’s rescue when something shadowy appears.
It’s a hard life but one Kai likes—filled with bounty, a few friends, and most importantly, no other elfin around to remind him of his past. And killing monsters is easy. Especially since he’s one himself.
But when a sidhe lord named Ryder arrives in San Diego, Kai is conscripted to do a job for Ryder’s fledgling Dawn Court. It’s supposed to be a simple run up the coast during dragon-mating season to retrieve a pregnant human woman seeking sanctuary. Easy, quick, and best of all, profitable. But Kai ends up in the middle of a deadly bloodline feud he has no hope of escaping.
No one ever got rich being a Stalker. But then few of them got old either and it doesn’t look like Kai will be the exception.
This Third Edition features new cover art by Chris McGrath.
Dark, gripping, intense and imaginative, Black Dog Blues is the first book in a new somewhat Urban and slightly Dystopian fantasy series full of paranormal creatures that will surprise you.
Kai Gracen is an Elf with a dark past, living as a human and working as a Stalker. He was won in a poker game by his boss and sort of father figure, Dempsey, who is now retiring so Kai is taking over the family business. Kai is an enigma. He was born an Elf, but prefers to live his life like a human. His parentage will surprise you, but he wants nothing to do with that part of his life. And while Kai would be considered bi-sexual, he is far from someone that confines his sexuality to a title or a box.
When Kai is hired to retrieve a pregnant human woman it is supposed to be an easy job, that is until the sidhe lord Ryder shows up on his door step, intent on accompanying Kai on the job. Secrets are revealed on both sides and the job turns out to be more dangerous that Kai assumed, and then there is the lustful way Ryder eyes Kai that sets his teeth on edge. Unanswered questions prove deadly for the Elfin Stalker. Who is this human pregnant woman that Ryder is hell bent on protecting? And why is Kai’s father suddenly intent on bringing his wayward son back home?
I think I just fell in love with a fictional, slightly psychotic elf with a death wish and a snarky sense of humor. Kai is unapologetically brash and intense. He loathes his past and is determined to live his life in his own way, make his own rules. Ryder is very mysterious and secretive but the one thing he doesn’t hide is just how much he wants Kai. While there isn’t any romance per say in this story, there is an undeniable attraction between these two that Kai does an impressive job of ignoring.
There was a lot going on throughout this story, Dempsey retiring, Kai taking over, the safe transport of the pregnant woman, Ryder’s involvement in her life, Kai’s past merging with his present and the link he has to Ryder. While I was completely engrossed in this story from start to finish, I got a little confused at times with everything that was taking place, but all roads intersected along the way. There were a few unappealing secondary characters as well, but I’m thinking Ford may have plans for them somewhere in the context of this series, so I’ll file them all away for later.
Overall I thought this was a great read. As I said it is dark, imaginative, mysterious and engaging. The way Ford merged the human and Fae worlds, the history and lore of the sidhe that was told, I’m anxious to see where Ford takes Kai and Ryder and possibly Alexa in the next story. This book reminded me a lot of Holly Black’s Modern Tales of Fairy series, which is one of the best Fae series to date. If you read multiple genres like I do, or you are thinking of dipping your toe into the warm waters of the MM genre, then this book would probably be the perfect start for you.
Pixie’s Review: 💖💖💖💖💖 4 ½ Hearts
Elfin Kai was won in a poker game by a human Stalker, Dempsey, and was trained to be a Stalker, he is the only Elfin Stalker in southern California. Now with Dempsey retiring due to injury Kai has set up shop in San Diego, contracting out to the local SoCalGov depot to kill the monsters that were released when Underhill merged with Earth. Kai is so merged in the human culture that he sometimes forget he was Elfin but when he is contracted to work for sidhe lord Ryder he is reminded of his past. Kai’s new contract was supposed to be an easy run, but heading up the coast during dragon-mating season to retrieve a pregnant human woman is anything but simple when he is dragged into a bloodline feud and his own past comes back to haunt him.
This is an absolutely brilliant Urban Fantasy story that has danger, horrible monsters, tempting sidhe and intriguing heroes. Kai has a mysterious past that is filled with horror, he wants nothing to do with any other Elfin and is perfectly happy with his life in the human world, it is dangerous but nothing that he hasn’t faced before and he lives by his own rules. Being forced to take a job for the sidhe lord Ryder is far from his idea of fun but if he doesn’t do it his Stalker licence could be pulled, gritting his teeth he sets out on an action packed journey that brings his bloody terrifying past back to him.
Kai is a brilliant character, he faces so much in this story and his reactions are just perfect. Kai is scarred by his past in more ways than one and his fears reach out and grab you, he has good reason to never want to see the Dusk Court again. Kai’s sexuality is fluid, male/female doesn’t matter to him he enjoys both, but some people he will steer clear of. Ryder and the other characters are there but more in the background, this is Kai’s story and although it is a great with the action, danger and Kai’s history being revealed, nobody really jumps out like Kai does so we are left wondering as to who could really catch Kai’s eye because it isn’t only Ryder who wants a taste of Kai.
It left me wondering just what direction this series would head in with Kai’s love interest because Kai seemed much more receptive to the females, because even with his detailed reaction to Ryder he still seemed to welcome the females touch more than Ryder’s.
This story is very much focused on the Urban Fantasy with any romantic/sexual interest taking a back burner, the imaginative settings and terrible creatures pull you into an exciting adventure and discovering Kai’s life is interesting. There’s plenty of danger from the black dogs, dragons, Dusk sidhe and Dawn sidhe, and Kai gets dragged into the Elfin world even as he tries to stay out of it.
We get a dark gritty story that makes you wonder as you turn the page just what Kai will face next, and you wonder just how much more his poor body can take before it gives up.
I recommend this is you want a dark, gritty, danger filled Urban Fantasy, incredible world building, fascinating characters and just a slight hint of sexual attraction.
A refreshingly new, tender-hearted slow burn from Rhys Ford!
Title: Once Upon A Wolf
Series: Wayward Wolves 01
Author: Rhys Ford
Narrator: Derrick McClain
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (16th May 2018)
Heat Level: Low – Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 4 Hearts
Blurb: Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.
For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.
Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.
Review: A new series with a new feel by Rhys Ford. I must say I’m really proud of this author for flexing her creative muscle and diversifying her writing style. Too often authors get stuck into a cookie cutter format, due to pressure and demands of their readers. If you’re used to Rhys’ in your face, shock and awe, often crazy violent and bloody, hot and sexy reads, this one will surprise you. Once Upon A Wolf is still packed with action, but of a different kind. The opening chase between a dark wolf and Zach, the conflicts between Gibson, Ellis Zach and an enraged officer, all add drama that we expect from Rhys. But the slow build, the sweetness and the flow of the characters discovering each other is unique to this first novella of her new series. This book is a slow sweet burn, leaving me want for more…. I think it’s a good thing! Though I might have wanted a teenie weenie bit more ravaging, these guys were more patient that I was!
The narrator Derrick McClain, was perfect and refreshingly new also, good variance on the different characters’ voices, good tempo, no complaints at all. I’ll have to look for more narration by Derrick for sure!
The sexual encounters take a while to arrive, which I find refreshing, and are passionate, creating soul deep connections between the characters.
Refreshing, new, another side of Rhys Ford’s writing prowess. I recommend Once Upon A Wolf if you’re in need of some adventurous, loving, slow discovery romance. A tender balm to the chaos of our times.
Blurb: How do you save a drowning man when that drowning man is you?
Jake Moore’s world fits too tightly around him. Every penny he makes as a welder goes to care for his dying father, an abusive, controlling man who’s the only family Jake has left. Because of a promise to his dead mother, Jake resists his desire for other men, but it leaves him consumed by darkness.
It takes all of Dallas Yates’s imagination to see the possibilities in the fatigued Art Deco building on the WeHo’s outskirts, but what seals the deal is a shy smile from the handsome metal worker across the street. Their friendship deepens while Dallas peels back the hardened layers strangling Jake’s soul. It’s easy to love the artistic, sweet man hidden behind Jake’s shattered exterior, but Dallas knows Jake needs to first learn to love himself.
When Jake’s world crumbles, he reaches for Dallas, the man he’s learned to lean on. It’s only a matter of time before he’s left to drift in a life he never wanted to lead and while he wants more, Jake’s past haunts him, making him doubt he’s worth the love Dallas is so desperate to give him.
Review: Jake has had one hell of a life. His mother was always going on about his being gay, that is until she died. And his father was an abusive man who should have been put down a long time ago. Now Jake is one hell of a sweet guy who is looking after that jerk and pretty much gives up his life to the man. His father is dying and he was doing what he could to keep a promise to his mother. What a twisted family.
Dallas wants to open the best club ever. So what does he do, he buys an old building in the worst part of town. A building with a dead body in it. He meeds Jake and starts a friendship with the young man. A young man who is drowning in pain and guilt.
The attraction and chemistry from these two guys is off the charts. However Jake is in no condition for any of it. He is letting his past lead his future. Now the story was well written and you will need tissues to get through it. Now for me, I just couldn’t really get into it. I just could not connected with the story at all. The writing was exceptional, but it was also missing something. It was a bit dull and boring to me.
There was some good parts to the story, but I hate to admit it, the bad parts showed out more. I could’t get my mind to concentrate on the story at all, and will admit that I ended up skimming through parts of it. The only two good parts is when the old man croaked, and the guys got their happily ever after. To bad it just didn’t do anything for me though. I am sorry but this was not my kind of book.
Blurb: The hardest thing a rebel can do isn’t standing up for something — it’s standing up for himself.
Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After years of running from his past, present and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, Karma delivers the one thing Gus could never—would never—turn his back on; a son from a one-night stand he’d had after a devastating break-up three years ago.
Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family’s tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together… until the firefighter who’d broken him walked back into Gus’s life.
For Rey Montenegro, tattoo artist Gus Scott was an elusive brass ring, a glittering prize he hadn’t the strength or flexibility to hold onto. Severing his relationship with the mercurial tattoo artist hurt but Gus hadn’t wanted the kind of domestic life Rey craved, leaving Rey with an aching chasm in his soul.
When Gus’s life and world starts to unravel, Rey helps him pick up the pieces, and Gus wonders if that forever Rey wants is more than just a dream.
Review: From the beginning, I figured both of these men were from nasty homes. Gus more than Rey though. Rey’s father was from what I gathered an abusive asshat but had a great mom. Where as Gus’s past life was cringe worthy. The guys had saved Rey and his mother from their burning home, and then the story just jumps. They hook up, Rey ends it with Gus, Gus sleeps with a female and boom three years later he finds out he has a son.
To Gus his life was just not life worthy, he had been dumped pretty much by everyone. However the one man he loved was what hurt the most. Now there is a second chance for them both. Add in a three year old son, and things might just be changing for them all.
For the guys, they had some amazing friends. One big family I guess one would say. You learn how they all became brothers and what that means to them. For me the story was rocky and jumped around to much to not get confused by it. There was great potential but to me it was just a bit boring. It did not catch my attention like it should have and I felt bad for that. It just came off very long winded and I hate to admit it, I skimmed over several parts to it.
The flow of this story just didn’t move right. This is definitely not a fuzzy fun piece, but a serious type of story. I hate to admit it, but I did not like the story, nor the characters and had trouble just getting into it. As of right now, I do not even want to contemplate reading the rest of this series. I am sorry but his story was not for me.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (16th February 2018)
ISBN: 978-1-64080-514-9
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating:♥♥♥♥ 3 1/2 Hearts
Blurb: Two lonely men. One perfect family.
Aiden Lake adopted his institutionalized sister’s two daughters, and he’s a good dad. He works nights on websites and gets in his adult time twice a week at the Roasty Bean, where he meets with other single gay parents.
Devon Smithson wants to be a good dad now that his 16-year-old sister asked him to babysit her newborn…three months ago. But he’s overwhelmed with the colicky baby. An invitation to the daddy-and-kid gatherings at the café is a godsend. The pot is sweetened when his friendship with Aiden develops into more – maybe even something that can last.
But the mother who kicked Dev out for being gay wants to get her claws into the baby, and she doesn’t care if she tears Dev, Aiden, and everything they’re building apart in the process.
Review: I’ve always hoped Rhys Ford would write a shifter book, because no one can do savage and murderous better than her. I finally got my wish….kind of. Once Upon A Wolf wasn’t exactly what I expected, and while Rhys pulled me into the book with her amazing gift of storytelling, I feel like something was missing.
Once Upon A Wolf feels to me more like the introduction to Ellis and the prequel to his book, rather than the love story of Zach and Gibson. Their budding relationship took second place to Ellis’s recovery, and that’s perfectly fine, except this book was supposed to be more about Gibson and Zach.
Gibson is a wolf shifter who has spent the last 2 years of his life caring for his older brother Ellis, whose body refuses to shift back to human after the horrors of war. Ellis’s torment and slow recovery is beautifully done! I love Ellis! The problem is that I don’t feel like I got to know as much about Gibson, since the focus wasn’t exactly on him.
Zach survived a horrible crash that should’ve left him dead, and after a painful and long recovery, this city boy turned his life around and bought an old inn in the middle of nowhere. Getting lost while walking through the woods, he finds himself chased by Ellis’s wolf, and then rescued from a certain death by Gibson. Finding out that wolf shifters exist blows his mind, but Zach immediately feels at home in the company of Gibson and Ellis.
The romance between Zach and Gibson is veeeery slow burn, and that’s mostly because the focus is simply not on their relationship. We are told that they spend a lot of time together, but we don’t really witness any of those times. I expected more, but this doesn’t make this book bad by any means.
One thing is for sure…. I might not have gotten what I wanted in terms of Zach and Gibson, but I definitely can’t wait to read Ellis’s book! There’s so much mystery surrounding him still! I’m looking forward to it!
Blurb: Whoever said blood was thicker than water never stood in a pool of it.
Retiring from stealing priceless treasures seemed like a surefire way for Rook Stevens to stay on the right side of the law. The only cop in his life should have been his probably-boyfriend, Los Angeles Detective Dante Montoya, but that’s not how life—his life—is turning out. Instead, Rook ends up not only standing in a puddle of his cousin Harold’s blood but also being accused of Harold’s murder…and sleeping with Harold’s wife.
For Dante, loving the former thief means his once-normal life is now a sea of chaos, especially since Rook seems incapable of staying out of trouble—or keeping trouble from following him home. When Rook is tagged as a murder suspect by a narrow-focused West L.A. detective, Dante steps in to pull his lover out of the quagmire Rook’s landed in.
When the complicated investigation twists around on them, the dead begin to stack up, forcing the lovers to work together. Time isn’t on their side, and if they don’t find the killer before another murder, Dante will be visiting Rook in his prison cell—or at his grave.
Review: This series follows our same sexy couple so they need to be read in order. Normally I really can’t stand books that don’t change the main characters, but Rhys just has a way to keep my attention throughout it all, and without tearing my hair out.
Our sexy former cat burglar is getting a bit stir crazy, not going back to doing what he was good at. That is until he bids on a statue and wins, only to have his cousin swoop in and steal it. Well he didn’t steal it, but paid for it, then stole it. All the while grinning like a loon, boy was he going to be in for it. With the help of his cousin in law, he gets the codes and decides to get one more thrill and a bit of revenge. That should have been his first sign that things would not go the way he planned. His cousin was dead and now he is the prime suspect. He seems to always get in trouble, and he needs to learn how to duck. Another detective has a hard-on for him and not in the good way. It would seem his very own detective needs to help keep him alive as well.
Then the boddies start showing up, and damn if that grouchy asshat of a detective, well you will just have to read that part and see. Dante, his sexy cop boyfriend and lover, had always wanted Rook. He might not have wanted him the way he wants him now, but it sure does get interesting between them. He was in love with the charming, sexy, and crazy former cat burglar. Who would have guessed it.
You throw in his nutty family, and I am speaking about a cranky old grandfather who does not think before he opens big mouth. Those two can go at it, but you can also feel the love between them. There are quite a bit of twists to this story that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout it all. What excitement, danger, hot sex, tender kisses and well you know where I am going with this, all in one dynamite package.
Just don’t eat before reading this, it can get quite grisly. I knew from the moment I read the first book, in another one of her series, that she was going to be my go to author for mysteries. She just has this way of telling a story and keeping you captivated, if not wanting to strangle the guys once in awhile.
I had a lot of fun reading this, even if it kept me up way past my bedtime. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next story. Way to go Rhys Ford for giving us this amazing book. I would definitely recommend it.
Former cat burglar Rook Stevens stole many a priceless thing in the past, but he’s never been accused of taking a life—until now. It was one thing to find a former associate inside Potter’s Field, his pop culture memorabilia shop, but quite another to stumble across her dead body.
Detective Dante Montoya thought he’d never see Rook Stevens again—not after his former partner’d falsified evidence to entrap the jewelry thief and Stevens walked off scot-free. So when he tackled a fleeing murder suspect, Dante was shocked to discover the blood-covered man was none other than the thief he’d fought to put in prison and who still made his blood sing.
Rook is determined to shake loose the murder charge against him, even if it means putting distance between him and the rugged Cuban-Mexican detective who brought him down. If one dead con artist wasn’t bad enough, others soon follow, and as the bodies pile up around Rook’s feet, he’s forced to reach out to the last man he’d expect to believe in his innocence—and the only man who’s ever gotten under Rook’s skin
Review: If there is one thing in life Detective Dante Montoya hates, it’s Rook Stevens. The pain in the ass, sly thief got under Dante’s skin several years back on a case, and never wormed his way out. His former partner was so certain of Rook’s guilt that he stepped outside of the margins and tried to frame Rook, costing him his badge and damn near cost Dante his as well. Now two years later, Dante is the lead on a call to Rook’s shop, where there just happens to be a body. Oh happy day!
Rook has been on the wrong side of everything, including the law, since the day he was born. His mother was worthless and left Rook the day after he told her “I like boys just like you.” He was eight. Rook may be a thief, and a damned good one, but he also has a conscious and tries to help out his fellow dregs. So when he finds himself on the run first from Dante and the cops that think he killed Dani. Then on the run from someone hell bent on killing him, Rook calls the last person you’d think he had on speed dial, Dante.
Things go from bad to worse real quick, but in the middle of all the murder and mayhem, Rook and Dante carve their own little piece of heaven wrapped in each other’s arms. But Rook doesn’t understand the concept of love, because he has never had it. Can Dante tame the frisky feline he’s sleeping with? Then you have to ask yourself, does he even want to tame Rook, or lead him around on a leash. And let’s not forget about that pesky psychopath blazing through town leaving a trail of bodies and body parts in their wake, trying to get their claws into Rook.
Holy Christ, I think this is hands down the best book Rhys Ford has written to date. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything of hers I’ve ever read. This book went above and beyond though. It’s like she took ALL the Morgan men personalities, bottled them up, shook the shit out of it, and when she let the cap off, out popped Rook! And Dante, if I didn’t know better I would think that Cole finally figured out how to get Jai pregnant and Dante was their love child. I laughed so hard I think I literally pee’d my pants.
But then there was a lot of action, suspense, dry humor and passion. Dante tried very hard to hate Rook in the beginning, but it was cute how much he didn’t hate him, not even a little. There banter back and forth could only be described as foreplay. The writing was off the chain, the storyline solid and the characters were seriously flawed (I can think of a better F word) which gave them depth. Even the secondary characters were so well planned and placed within the story.
Definitely a must read, for so many reasons. Intriguing, engaging, passionate, sexy and hysterical are just a few adjectives I’ll use to describe this book.
Hiya guys! We have the ever lovely Rhys Ford visiting today with the tour to her upcoming release Tramps and Thieves. We have a short intro from Rhys, a fantastic part of her blog story for this tour and a brilliant $20GC giveaway! So guys check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Tramps & Thieves
(Murder and Mayhem 02)
by
Rhys Ford
Whoever said blood was thicker than water never stood in a pool of it.
Retiring from stealing priceless treasures seemed like a surefire way for Rook Stevens to stay on the right side of the law. The only cop in his life should have been his probably-boyfriend, Los Angeles Detective Dante Montoya, but that’s not how life—his life—is turning out. Instead, Rook ends up not only standing in a puddle of his cousin Harold’s blood but also being accused of Harold’s murder…and sleeping with Harold’s wife.
For Dante, loving the former thief means his once-normal life is now a sea of chaos, especially since Rook seems incapable of staying out of trouble—or keeping trouble from following him home. When Rook is tagged as a murder suspect by a narrow-focused West L.A. detective, Dante steps in to pull his lover out of the quagmire Rook’s landed in.
When the complicated investigation twists around on them, the dead begin to stack up, forcing the lovers to work together. Time isn’t on their side, and if they don’t find the killer before another murder, Dante will be visiting Rook in his prison cell—or at his grave.
Blurb: Welcome to Dim Sum Asylum: a San Francisco where it’s a ho-hum kind of case when a cop has to chase down an enchanted two-foot-tall shrine god statue with an impressive Fu Manchu mustache that’s running around Chinatown, trolling sex magic and chaos in its wake.
Senior Inspector Roku MacCormick of the Chinatown Arcane Crimes Division faces a pile of challenges far beyond his human-faerie heritage, snarling dragons guarding C-Town’s multiple gates, and exploding noodle factories. After a case goes sideways, Roku is saddled with Trent Leonard, a new partner he can’t trust, to add to the crime syndicate family he doesn’t want and a spell-casting serial killer he desperately needs to find.
While Roku would rather stay home with Bob the Cat and whiskey himself to sleep, he puts on his badge and gun every day, determined to serve and protect the city he loves. When Chinatown’s dark mystical underworld makes his life hell and the case turns deadly, Trent guards Roku’s back and, if Trent can be believed, his heart… even if from what Roku can see, Trent is as dangerous as the monsters and criminals they’re sworn to bring down.
Review: I really enjoyed this story about Trent, a mysterious man who is Raku’s new partner at the division. Raku is cynical but it is to be expected after all that has happened in his past. I loved the chemistry between the two and was even gladder that the romance was not front and center as is the case with most books.
The plot was amazing, the details edge of your seat worthy and the investigation, great. I was immersed in this aspect as I traversed along with Trent and Raku. There were hair raising scenes as the story progressed.
I think this is the second or third book I have read by this author and was not disappointed in the least. If you like mystery and suspense with urban fantasy then this book is for you.
Blurb: How do you save a drowning man when that drowning man is you?
Jake Moore’s world fits too tightly around him. Every penny he makes as a welder goes to care for his dying father, an abusive, controlling man who’s the only family Jake has left. Because of a promise to his dead mother, Jake resists his desire for other men, but it leaves him consumed by darkness.
It takes all of Dallas Yates’s imagination to see the possibilities in the fatigued art deco building on WeHo’s outskirts, but what seals the deal is a shy smile from the handsome metal worker across the street. Their friendship deepens while Dallas peels back the hardened layers strangling Jake’s soul. It’s easy to love the sweet, artistic man hidden behind Jake’s shattered exterior, but Dallas knows Jake needs to first learn to love himself.
When Jake’s world crumbles, he reaches for Dallas, the man he’s learned to lean on. It’s only a matter of time before he’s left to drift in a life he never wanted to lead and while he wants more, Jake’s past haunts him, making him doubt he’s worth the love Dallas is so desperate to give him.
Review: This heart-string tugging story starts out with the cold, hard violence I’ve come to expect form a Rhys Ford story, and let’s face it, I like the gritty, painful crime she writes…because she tempers it with such strong passion and love! The opening is gut wrenching and makes me cringe even now…. Fair warning, this story contains subjects of physical and emotional abuse, and suicide.
Each character was interesting, however I feel like I’ve been dropped into the middle of a series. There are strong dynamics and a ton of history between Dallas and Celeste, and I feel like I need that back story first. I want to know how Dallas got to this point in life. How is he independently wealthy? Why is he opening this club, what exactly is Bombshells & Babes? There was a segment that went into his past relationship and why it’s so important when considering Dallas and Jake’s future….but again, it feels like I’m missing an entire novel. It’s like Star Wars…I think there may be a prequel soon.
While the story is passionate, and the topic bone chilling and dark, the layering of descriptive words can get a bit overwhelming. The love scenes, before Dallas and Jake get to full penetration, the brief touches, the kisses, the chemistry as they build is great! It was hard for me to figure out how all the elements of the story were tied together. There’s not a lot of mystery here, more of a story about one overly optimistic ray of sunshine helping a beaten down, abused, disturbed creative genius find reason to keep on ticking. Love and hate, tenderness and violence; there’s not a lot of in between here.
If you enjoy those things, like I do, you’ll enjoy this story. Tremblay’s narration brings this story to life. I don’t think I’d enjoy this book as much just reading the text. Greg brings softness, passion, and drama, blunts some of the rough edges and heats up the passionate scenes.
Hiya peeps! We have the ever amazing Rhys Ford visiting today with the tour for her upcoming release Dim Sum Asylum, we have an intro post from Rhys, we have the fantastic 3rd part of Wok This Way (her blog tour short story) AND we have an awesome giveaway, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Dim Sum Asylum
by
Rhys Ford
Welcome to Dim Sum Asylum: a San Francisco where it’s a ho-hum kind of case when a cop has to chase down an enchanted two-foot-tall shrine god statue with an impressive Fu Manchu mustache that’s running around Chinatown, trolling sex magic and chaos in its wake.
Senior Inspector Roku MacCormick of the Chinatown Arcane Crimes Division faces a pile of challenges far beyond his human-faerie heritage, snarling dragons guarding C-Town’s multiple gates, and exploding noodle factories. After a case goes sideways, Roku is saddled with Trent Leonard, a new partner he can’t trust, to add to the crime syndicate family he doesn’t want and a spell-casting serial killer he desperately needs to find.
While Roku would rather stay home with Bob the Cat and whiskey himself to sleep, he puts on his badge and gun every day, determined to serve and protect the city he loves. When Chinatown’s dark mystical underworld makes his life hell and the case turns deadly, Trent guards Roku’s back and, if Trent can be believed, his heart… even if from what Roku can see, Trent is as dangerous as the monsters and criminals they’re sworn to bring down.
Hi guys, we have Rhys Ford popping in today with the tour for her upcoming release There’s This Guy, we have a fantastic guest post, a great excerpt and an awesome giveaway, so check out the post, take part in the giveaway and then leave a comment to enter the bonus giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
There’s This Guy
by
Rhys Ford
How do you save a drowning man when that drowning man is you?
Jake Moore’s world fits too tightly around him. Every penny he makes as a welder goes to care for his dying father, an abusive, controlling man who’s the only family Jake has left. Because of a promise to his dead mother, Jake resists his desire for other men, but it leaves him consumed by darkness.
It takes all of Dallas Yates’s imagination to see the possibilities in the fatigued Art Deco building on the WeHo’s outskirts, but what seals the deal is a shy smile from the handsome metal worker across the street. Their friendship deepens while Dallas peels back the hardened layers strangling Jake’s soul. It’s easy to love the artistic, sweet man hidden behind Jake’s shattered exterior, but Dallas knows Jake needs to first learn to love himself.
When Jake’s world crumbles, he reaches for Dallas, the man he’s learned to lean on. It’s only a matter of time before he’s left to drift in a life he never wanted to lead and while he wants more, Jake’s past haunts him, making him doubt he’s worth the love Dallas is so desperate to give him.
Blurb: Angel Daniels grew up hard, one step ahead of the law and always looking over his shoulder. A grifter’s son, he’d learned every con and trick in the book but ached for a normal life. Once out on his own, Angel returns to Half Moon Bay where he once found… and then lost… love.
Now, Angel’s life is a frantic mess of schedules and chaos. Between running his bakery and raising his troubled eleven-year-old half brother, Roman, Angel has a hectic but happy life. Then West Harris returns to Half Moon Bay and threatens to break Angel all over again by taking away the only home he and Rome ever had.
When they were young, Angel taught West how to love and laugh, but when Angel moved on, West locked his heart up and threw away the key. Older and hardened, West returns to Half Moon Bay and finds himself face-to-face with the man he’d lost. Now West is torn between killing Angel or holding him tight.
But rekindling their passionate relationship is jeopardized as someone wants one or both of them dead, and as the terrifying danger mounts, neither man knows if the menace will bring them together or forever tear them apart.
Review: Angel Daniels and West Harris spent a wonderful summer together when they were younger. Now years later Angel is back in town. West and Angel but heads in a business dispute.
But in between all the emotional drama is danger in the form of an unseen threat wanting both men dead. Heart stopping, riveting, fast paced this book packs a punch. I had a problem with the fact that it seemed as though Angel and West wanted to reconnect something would happen to break it apart. As a result it seemed as though their relationship was an afterthought to all the other things going on.
Aside from that I really enjoyed both characters and the struggles they work through as they seemed to grow more. Entertaining and addicting this addition leads the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Hey guys! We have the amazing Rhys Ford and the blog tour for her upcoming release (tomorrow! tomorrow!) Mad Lizard Mambo (yessss Kai’s back!), we have a short intro from Rhys, part 2 of When Kai Discovers He Does Not Bounce, and an awesome giveaway! So peeps, check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Kai Gracen has no intention of being anyone’s pawn. A pity Fate and SoCalGov have a different opinion on the matter.
Licensed Stalkers make their living hunting down monsters and dangerous criminals… and their lives are usually brief, brutal, and thankless. Despite being elfin and cursed with a nearly immortal lifespan, Kai didn’t expect to be any different. Then Ryder, the High Lord of the Southern Rise Court, arrived in San Diego, Kai’s not-so-mundane life went from mild mayhem to full-throttle chaos.
Now an official liaison between the growing Sidhe Court and the human populace, Kai is at Ryder’s beck and call for anything a High Lord might need a Stalker to do. Unfortunately for Kai, this means chasing down a flimsy rumor about an ancient lost Court somewhere in the Nevada desert—a court with powerful magics that might save Ryder—and Kai’s—people from becoming a bloody memory in their Merged world’s violent history.
The race for the elfin people’s salvation opens unwelcome windows into Kai’s murky past, and it could also slam the door on any future he might have with his own kind and Ryder.
Blurb: The British Empire reigns supreme, and its young Queen Victoria has expanded her realm to St. Francisco, a bustling city of English lords and Chinese ghettos. St. Francisco is a jewel in the Empire’s crown and as deeply embroiled in the conflict between the Arcane and Science as its sister city, London—a very dark and dangerous battle.
Marcus Stenhill, Viscount of Westwood, stumbles upon that darkness when he encounters a pack of young bloods beating a man senseless. Westwood’s duty and honor demand he save the man, but he’s taken aback to discover the man is Robin Harris, a handsome young inventor indirectly responsible for the death of Marcus’s father.
Living in the shadows following a failed coup, Robin devotes his life to easing others’ pain, even though his creations are considered mechanical abominations of magicks and science. Branded a deviant and a murderer, Robin expects the viscount to run as far as he can—and is amazed when Marcus reaches for him instead.
Review: What happens when you not only rescue, but fall in love with the man that inadvertently caused your father’s death? Well, Marcus Stenhill is about to find out. Marcus is running an errand for his grandmother one afternoon when he stumbles upon a group of men literally trying to beat another man to death. Upon learning that the man he rescued is Robin Harris, Marcus is confused more than anything else. Robin is so young, far younger than Marcus thought him to be. Over the course of the several weeks it takes Robin to heal from his injuries, Marcus stands vigil by his side and learns there is so much more to Robin than he’d thought.
Robin Harris was only fourteen years old when he was used as well as his designs, which were meant to help people, for a darker purpose. He has paid for that decision a hundred times over. When he finds himself in the company of Viscount of Westwood, Marcus, Robin finds himself attracted to the man that should hate him, but he doesn’t. The attraction is mutual, but a friendship is secured first. The only problem from there is convincing Marcus’s family, some of who are still quite bitter over their father’s death, that Robin was a pawn and he truly is a kind man with a brilliant mind.
If you follow my reviews then you already know how much I enjoy it when Greg Tremblay takes Rhys Ford’s novels and brings them to life. This book is no exception. I was intrigued by the world and era that Ford created, a mixture of Steam Punk and Dystopian edge. Tremblay took care to guarantee that every character had their own voice and persona; sometimes the voice itself gave me a feel for the character that tied in with the way they were written.
The story was short, just a few hours in length, but there was a lot of content and character development in those few hours. I think Marcus’s grandmother stole the show though. She cracked me up with her need to break ugly porcelain animals and maneuvering the hovercraft thingy while giggling and clapping like a happy child.
I think anyone that enjoys the Steam Punk and Dystopian style of stories will enjoy this one for sure, but there is a lot more to the story than just that distinction.
Title: Once Upon A Wolf
Title: There’s This Guy
Title: Rebel
Title: Once Upon a Wolf
Title: Tramps and Thieves
Title: Murder and Mayhem
Title: Dim Sum Asylum
Title: There’s This Guy
Title: Hanging the Stars
Title: Clockwork Tangerine