Wolf of the Northern Star by S.J. Himes Blog Tour, Guest Post, Exclusive Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

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Hiya guys! We have the incredible S.J. Himes stopping in today with the tour for her new release Wolf of the Northern Star, we have an excellent guest post, a new excerpt, an exclusive excerpt, an awesome giveaway and Shorty’s review, so check out the post and click that giveaway! ~Pixie~ 

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Wolf of the Northern Star

(The Wolfkin Saga 02)
by

S.J. Himes

Ghost, once known as the cub Luca, is finally home. Back among his kind and learning what it means to be both a man and a shaman, Ghost battles the expectations of his people, his family, and the pressures of a society that is both foreign and familiar. His power is greater than any seen before, dwarfing that of even the legendary Shaman Gray Shadow—and his union with Kane places him in the center of a controversy that rattles wolfkin society around the world.

Kane, greater alpha and Heir to Black Pine Clan, has finally defeated the traitor and murderer that destroyed the heart of Black Pine years before. Freed at last from guilt and pain, Kane has a new enemy to face: his own people. Placed on trial for violation of Law and blasphemy, Kane will have to fight to the death to preserve his bond with Ghost and keep his mate and people safe.

The soulbond between Ghost and Kane is forged by the creator and Goddess of the wolfkin. Usually, a sacred and treasured union that honors the pair and their clans, this soulbond is seen not as a gift, but a threat to eons of tradition and Clan Law.

The union of a Shaman and Alpha is anathema—but how to reconcile that belief when it is the wolfkin Goddess who forged it? Can Ghost and Kane save themselves, preserve their bond, and find a new future when the laws of the ancient past threaten to tear them apart?

*This book is part of a series and should not be read as a standalone. Prior books should be read to understand content. 104,000 words*

Amazon Universal

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Ghost

by S.J. Himes

In The Wolfkin Saga, the character I love writing the most is the main character, Ghost. Who is Ghost? If you’ve read the first book of the Saga, you’d know that Ghost was once a young wolfkin named Luca, who was lost amid tragedy, and assumed dead.

He wasn’t dead, obviously, but he was on his own, in a unique situation—he was a shifter, a werewolf, stuck in his wolf form. In fact, from the age of five to nineteen, he grew up as a wolf. Raised by conservationists who ran a wolf sanctuary, Luca was named Ghost, due to his habit of escaping enclosures, and appearing in locations he couldn’t access without opposable thumbs.

Ghost is the most unique character I have ever written. He is feral, but not out of control. He is efficient, without artifice or malice, and has no use for lies. He sees to the heart of people and wolfkin alike because he lacks guile and has no tolerance for it in others. He appreciates the moment, now, the past something to learn from and move on, the future something to worry about when it is necessary and put aside when nothing can be done. He lacks social graces, and he is rude, but he is also kind and sweet and charming, a charm that comes from simply being himself.

He is also a shaman. In the Wolfkin Saga, I did not incorporate omegas—there are alphas, of varying strengths and rank; betas, both meek and powerful; and then shamans, the wolves who stand outside pack hierarchy and answer only to the protection and care of their people, and the duties given to them by their Goddess. Shamans don’t care for rank or power—they exist to protect, guide, heal and nurture the clans of wolfkin, and leave leadership roles to the alphas.

Ghost comes into his shamanic gifts at a very young age, and except for a few things, his nature and higher thought processes that belonged to his human side was suppressed by the long-term effects of being stuck in his wolf form. It took danger and nearly dying to awaken him to his reality, and that sent him on the journey home to his people.

I love Ghost. He has the gift of saying what he means, without artifice or manipulation. He doesn’t lie, cheat, sneak around, or cause harm for the sake of it. He lacks many human traits that cast us all in a bad light, and it was a pleasure to cast off so many societal restrictions and traditions and even manners to write and create Ghost. His lack of patience with political bullshit is also a blessing. He cuts through red tape like it doesn’t exist.

He leaves chaos in his wake, but almost every time, things are better after he makes a mess. He’s the kind of person you want around, because he will spur you out of whatever rut you may be in, and make you appreciate, and love, the life you’re living in right at that moment.

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Excerpt!

“Where have you been? With your mate?” Glen asked, and Ghost grumbled.

“Been running around the mountain all night long, thinking. Being a man is hard. How do you do it?”

Glen snorted out a laugh. “Practice.” He nodded at the blanket, and Ghost sighed loudly.

Ghost sat up, wrapping the quilt about his hips. He threw himself back down almost immediately, and Glen found himself unable to resist the plaintive whine that came from his pretty lips. Glen was as straight as they came, but even he could acknowledge the sheer beauty of the human form of his wayward wolf. Ghost was beautiful, inside and out, and yet he had a shade of sadness hovering about his expressive silver eyes. He walked around the couch and paused as Ghost scrambled out of the way long enough for him to sit down. A bare second later he had an armful of lean youth and wiggling limbs.

Ghost curled up in his lap like he used to as a pup, though it was different now, as Ghost was not a wolf anymore. Glen heaved out a groan in complaint, but let Ghost hide under his chin and snuggle. He hugged the boy to his chest, and they both relaxed, adjusting easily enough to the new dynamic.

“What’s wrong?” Glen asked, and Ghost responded in a tiny voice.

“They put Kane in a cell in the woods yesterday. And they want to destroy our mate bond.”

Glen could recall only two times in his entire life he ever got angry enough to kill. Once was back in college when he tore a drunk frat boy off a cussing and furious redhead who then proceeded to wallop her attacker. The other time was when he rescued a malnourished wolf-hybrid from a careless and ignorant suburban family in the outskirts of Toronto, the poor thing starved near to death and skeletal thin. As he did then, he ran his hands over the back of a young wolf’s head, and said, “Everything is going to be okay.”

Glen managed to hold onto his temper, but it was a battle. The youngling needed a shoulder to cry on, a place to relax his guarded emotions, and Glen would be that safe place for him.

“I wanted to come home more than anything,” Ghost whispered, pressing his face into Glen’s chest. “But nothing good has come of it. They think me damaged, weak. Vulnerable.”

“We both know you are not damaged or weak. I don’t think I would have survived fifteen years locked away in the body of a wolf, deprived of any sense of self or family. You’re strong. And what do you mean nothing good has come from returning to your people? You have your man now, Kane. He’s your mate, no matter what those fools may say or think.”

“He’s in a cage, Glen. In the woods, alone, surrounded by alphas who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him. I can feel him through our bond. He’s frustrated, and misses me. I haven’t seen him since they took him away yesterday We can’t talk because the alphas might be able to overhear us, but I can still feel him. It hurts not being with him.”

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Exclusive Excerpt!

Being a wolfkin man was harder than he thought it would be…being a wolf was easy. Hunt, run, play, sleep, repeat. No arguments and veiled frustrations, no seething resentments and fractured trust. There was dominance to determine in packs, but such events were about willpower and strength, and wolves settled in naturally and with no resentments once the hierarchy was determined. Laws did not exist; religion did not exist. There was a type of faith, but it was less defined, with no rules attached except that all creatures must eat, and some will be eaten. Some will lead, and some will follow. Each creature to its own nature, and none to say, or even think, that one way was not the right way, or that another was wrong. Such concepts did not exist. Barring illness, animals truly did not care.

Ghost headed up the mountain, away from the cabins and park center. The scents of other wolfkin faded away and the trees thinned out the higher he climbed. *Little wolf?*

*I am well, my mate,* Ghost whispered to Kane, his alpha’s worry a slight sting upon his conscience. He had left without a word, stripping his human clothing and running for the door, shredding frustrations as he shed his human form in a rush of silver-white energy. Kane had called after him, but thankfully his mate did not follow him. He needed some time alone.

Kane sent back a wordless mental caress of affection, receding from Ghost’s higher mind, their bond still intact in the recesses of his brain. Kane was an anchor, a touchstone, and was always with him.

Ghost continued to run, his body flowing over rocks and snow, the wind cutting through his thick gray coat in random gusts. His heart thudded with his race, blood roared through his ears, the sunny sky blinding him as he reached the scraggy peak.

Ghost took in the world once his eyes adjusted. Mountains dipped and swelled in all directions, black pines blocking out great swaths on steep inclines, the valleys dark even in the daylight, and he could see the mirror bright surface of the river as it wound through Baxter. Below him was the park center, and the wolves of Red Fern who kept the park. Red Fern maintained the illusion that only human caretakers for the state park resided in Baxter. Ghost had been here before, as a child, though he had never seen Baxter like this—a wilderness, a rare, almost untouched sanctuary for his kind. Humans came here only during the summer months, and every step they took was watched.

He was no longer alone. He was surrounded by hundreds of his kind, with more to come any day now, and his humans, Glen and Cat, were down there in the valley, too. Ghost was soulbonded and mated to a fine alpha, and he knew happiness. He wasn’t alone—so why did he feel like he was?

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The Wolfkin Saga!

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Wolves of Black Pine

An ancient civilization long hidden from humanity is on the brink of chaos and war. Peaceful for thousands of years, the wolfkin clans are mysteriously losing packmates, kidnapped and killed by unknown foes.

The nightmare begins with an ambush by humans at a gathering of their kind, and lives are lost. Among them is Luca, youngest grandson of the two most powerful wolves in the Northern Clans. Thought long dead and gone, he is forced into a half-life, hidden in the far northern wilds of Canada and cut off from his kind. Those who raised him have no idea the creature they harbor in their midst, and name him Ghost. He begins to lose himself over the long years, and though he barely recalls his true name, the one wolf he never forgets is Kane.

Kane, Heir to the wolfkin clan Black Pine, is charged with hunting down the traitors who betrayed their kind to the humans. Years fly by, and more wolves are dying. He refuses to give up, and he vows to never again fail another of their kind, as he failed young Luca years before. His heart tells him Luca lives, but his mind tells him that it’s foolish hope, his guilt eating him alive.

Fate and magic change the course of their lives, and the two wolves long separated by the years find their paths intertwining. Though the gift of their reunion doesn’t come without price. Faced by the consequences of their growing love, and the goddess-forged bond between them, Kane and Ghost are besieged on all sides. Enemies are coming for their blood, and without the steadfast loyalty and love of family and friends, they may not be safe from the very people they fight to protect.

Book One in a series, The Wolfkin Saga. 150,000+ words, contains graphic sex between men, dubious consent, mentions of abuse. Contains gore and violence. Mature readers only.

**On SALE $2.99 until 5th July**

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About S.J. Himes!

I’m a self-employed writer who stresses out about the silliest things, like whether or not I got my dog the best kind of snack and the fact my kindle battery tends to die when I’m at the best part in a book. I write mainly gay romance, erotica, and urban fantasy, with ocasional forays into contemporary and paranormal. I love a book heavy on plot and character evolution, and throw in some magic, and that’s perfection. My current series are: The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, Bred For Love (as Revella Hawthorne), and The Wolfkin Saga. My last two novels in the Beacon Hill Sorcerer won 3rd Place in the Gay Fantasy category for the 2016 Rainbow Awards.

I live in New Orleans, where the personalities are big and loud and so are the bugs! New Orleans is rich in cultural history, and the flavor and music of the City is impossible to hide. Before that, I lived all over the United States: Tampa, Western Massachusetts, Indianapolis, and on and on…. I’m a nomad, and I’ve yet to find a place that calls to me strongly enough to become home. My faithful travel companions are my dog Micah, the numerous voices in my head who insist they all get put on paper, and the wind at my back.

Links:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Facebook Fan Group | Twitter | Amazon

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Giveaway!

Win $10 Amazon gift card and Wolves of Black Pine & Wolf of the Northern Star ebooks!

(Just click the link below)

S.J. Himes Rafflecopter giveaway

(Ends 2nd July 2017)

Review

S.J. Himes - Wolf of the Northern Star CoverTitle: Wolf of the Northern Star

Series:  Wolfkin Saga # 2

Author: SJ Himes

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novel (374pgs)

Publisher: SJ Himes (June 14, 2017)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Ghost, once known as the cub Luca, is finally home. Back among his kind and learning what it means to be both a man and a shaman, Ghost battles the expectations of his people, his family, and the pressures of a society that is both foreign and familiar. His power is greater than any seen before, dwarfing that of even the legendary Shaman Gray Shadow—and his union with Kane places him in the center of a controversy that rattles wolfkin society around the world. 

Kane, greater alpha and Heir to Black Pine Clan, has finally defeated the traitor and murderer that destroyed the heart of Black Pine years before. Freed at last from guilt and pain, Kane has a new enemy to face: his own people. Placed on trial for violation of Law and blasphemy, Kane will have to fight to the death to preserve his bond with Ghost and keep his mate and people safe. 

The soulbond between Ghost and Kane is forged by the creator and Goddess of the wolfkin. Usually, a sacred and treasured union that honors the pair and their clans, this soulbond is seen not as a gift, but a threat to eons of tradition and Clan Law. 

The union of a Shaman and Alpha is anathema—but how to reconcile that belief when it is the wolfkin Goddess who forged it? Can Ghost and Kane save themselves, preserve their bond, and find a new future when the laws of the ancient past threaten to tear them apart? 

**This book is part of a series and is not standalone. Prior books should be read to understand content. 104,000 words. Brief flashbacks of sexual assault and abuse. Mature content and violence.***

ISBN: B072R5QF1C

Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Northern-Star-Wolfkin-Saga-ebook/dp/B072R5QF1C

Reviewer: Shorty 

Review: This sequel picks up where the first book leaves off. Wolf is confused by wolves acting more human than wolf. He does not understand why they are not acting like who they are. We see Roman and Claire being judged and convicted by the tribunal. 

Simon is still doing his experiments with a new master that I figured out who it was before they were announced. So it came as no surprise to me. This book is a fantastic addition to the series. It adds more in depth details to characters such as Wren, Gerald and Caius. 

I found myself unable to stop reading until the very end and was sorry when there was no more. I hope there will be more to this series and that next time we will not have to wait two years to read it. I truly loved everything about this story.

Fantastic read. Highly recommended.

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