Hiya peeps, we have Angel Martinez & Bellora Quinn popping in with their tour for their new release Kellen’s Awakening, we have a great post from Bellora, we have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Lisa’s review, so enjoy the poat and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Kellen’s Awakening
Angel Martinez & Bellora Quinn
The staff at AURA has had a busy summer. Between chronic understaffing, dealing with warring goblin factions and an unusual number of hazardous Events, everyone is overworked. Sinistrus the incubus, newly hired as an AURA medic, actually enjoys his busy new life of responsible employee and faithful lover to his gorgeous police sergeant, Ness the centaur. Life would be perfect, except for a niggling suspicion about a colleague. Everyone else seems to disagree, but Sin’s certain something’s not right with that pixie.
Kellen, a pixie crossover, loves his job working in AURA medical, even if he is something of an outsider. His job and the friends he manages to make are happy spots in an otherwise dark and secretive life. As the rest of AURA tries to discover the root of the inexplicable rise in violence and large scale Events, Kellen fights to preserve his own life and what dignity he has left.
These two unlikely heroes must put their differences aside and navigate tragedy and ever-escalating disaster together in order to stop the sinister forces that hold Kellen in thrall.
Bellora Quinn!
I have this idea…
That’s how I get their attention. My co-authors, I mean. Over the years I’ve taken much pride in the simultaneous excitement and anxiety I can create with that one little message. It’s fabulous. I have author friends that don’t get how in the world I’m able to write in tandem with other people, and my answer is always the same. It’s so much fun!
Years ago I read what Angel wrote on a fantasy role playing/writing group we both belonged to, and instantly character ideas and story threads started filling my head. Angel was my first obsession, she was the first whose stories I loved and felt drawn into on a level that I thought I could add something worthwhile to the mix. I was nervous asking her to write with me though, I was impressed with her writing style and the way she put dialogue together, and the way she could make you really feel for her characters. I think all writers have done something like that at one point. Read something and thought, wouldn’t it be cool if ‘this’ happened? How many people actually get to do that? Jump into a story they love and help write what happens next. I feel very lucky to have gotten to do that.
I think it worked out so well because at the start I knew I wanted to follow the loose story idea she’d already started to build and sorta add ‘supporting characters’. The stories were very much character driven and I wanted to see where her MC’s story went and help it grow. Some of the other co-written stories I’d read felt like the MCs were in competition to see who could get the most attention. I had no interest in that, there was no ego involved. I just wanted to see a great story on the page. I think those early day of writing together helped build a lot of trust. It showed that we both wanted what was best for the story.
Later on I developed characters that took a more leading role. Angel tells me this is all pretty much just in my head and those supporting characters were main characters. Even so, I think the mindset I had helped a great deal in getting the feel for writing together. We had a lot of practice by the time we sat down and started writing the AURA series. It’s been so much fun. When we finished book two we had a few months of false starts and some frustration on book three, we let it rest for a bit and then took it in a completely different direction. Kellen flowed out onto the page easy as you please and it felt great. It turned out not to be the series ender we thought it would be, there are more stories yet to write in the AURA universe. I think I already have this idea…
Excerpt
“Before Kai gets lost in regaling you with wedding details…” Tenzin settled, then grunted as several flower fairies immediately popped into view around his head to land on his shoulders. “Our lovely Sin, now that we’re among friends and not at work, can you tell me why you insist on tormenting Kellen so terribly?”
“Oh, I dunno.” Sin picked up a spicy fried mushroom with his claws and popped it in his mouth. “I think I’m pretty good at tormenting him.”
Ness nudged him. “Be serious, love. Why do you pick on him? Even I’ve seen it.”
“Look, I just don’t like everyone, okay?” Sin spread his hands when everyone gave him side eyes. “Took me a bit to warm up to Val, right?”
“You had good reason to be angry with Val,” Ness said as he reached for an oat muffin. “I don’t think Kellen ever actually caused you harm.”
Sin heaved a dramatic sigh. “Fine. He’s absolutely useless as a paramedic.”
“Not everyone is suited for emergency field medicine,” Tenzin said gently.
Ness leaned over to kiss the top of Sin’s head. “You are because you’re brave and don’t stop to think.”
“Hey!” Sin swatted at an equine flank.
“Oh, dear. I didn’t mean it that way.” Ness flushed darkly while the others laughed. “You don’t overthink. When someone needs help, you just do instead of overanalyzing. Not everyone can be that sort of heroic.”
“Good recovery.” Sin grinned up at his flustered lover. “Yeah, I get it. He’s not the first responder kind. But the little guy’s just sneaky. He doesn’t look people in the eye. He flinches at the weirdest times. I don’t trust him.”
Tenzin frowned as he ladled vegetable panang onto a plate and set it in front of Kai. “Eat, beloved, before you waste away. About Kellen. I believe it’s deep-seated trauma, something so terrible that he doesn’t want to have to talk about it, since that would mean acknowledging it.”
“Tenzi’s so often right about these sorts of things.” Kai took up his fork, toying with his food rather than eating yet. “But this time, I have to disagree. There is something uneasy about him. Something beyond old fears.”
“You hardly see him thirty seconds out of any week,” Tenzin protested. “What could you possibly base this on?”
“Ah, love. A drow knows deception. There’s something not quite right about that pixie.”
About Angel & Bellora
Angel
While Angel Martinez is the erotic fiction pen name of a writer of several genres, she writes both kinds of gay romance – Science Fiction and Fantasy. Currently living part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware, (and full time inside the author’s head) Angel has one husband, one son, two cats, a changing variety of other furred and scaled companions, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate.
Where to find the author:
Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Website
Bellora
Originally hailing from Detroit Michigan, Bellora now resides on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida where a herd of Dachshunds keeps her entertained. She got her start in writing at the dawn of the internet when she discovered PbEMs (Play by email) and found a passion for collaborative writing and steamy hot erotica. Soap Opera like blogs soon followed and eventually full novels.
The majority of her stories are in the M/M genre with urban fantasy or paranormal settings and many with a strong BDSM flavour.
Giveaway!
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Review
Title: Kellen’s Awakening
Series: AURA 03
Author: Angel Martinez & Bellora Quinn
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Length: Novella (177 pages)
ISBN: 978-1-78651-409-7
Publisher: Pride Publishing (May 3rd, 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Lisa
Blurb: The staff at AURA has had a busy summer. Between chronic understaffing, dealing with warring goblin factions and an unusual number of hazardous Events, everyone is overworked. Sinistrus the incubus, newly hired as an AURA medic, actually enjoys his busy new life of responsible employee and faithful lover to his gorgeous police sergeant, Ness the centaur. Life would be perfect, except for a niggling suspicion about a colleague. Everyone else seems to disagree, but Sin’s certain something’s not right with that pixie.
Kellen, a pixie crossover, loves his job working in AURA medical, even if he is something of an outsider. His job and the friends he manages to make are happy spots in an otherwise dark and secretive life. As the rest of AURA tries to discover the root of the inexplicable rise in violence and large scale Events, Kellen fights to preserve his own life and what dignity he has left.
These two unlikely heroes must put their differences aside and navigate tragedy and ever-escalating disaster together in order to stop the sinister forces that hold Kellen in thrall.
Product Link: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/kellens-awakening
Review: Each book in the AURA collection features a different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and crossover characters, I would recommend reading the series in sequential order.
This series has so many different types of paranormals in it that makes it absolutely unique to me. The worlds so fascinating and beautiful even though there are some dark spots to it. This world was created because of an accident that had happened at Berkley. It made our world merge with a world of magic and paranormal beings. It changed the way of life for everyone involved.
There are also a lot of different types of emotions put into this story and I found that it was enticing. Although there are some parts that I did not care for at all.
Ness is in love with Sin, but because Sin needs to feed on a female, he gives him what he needs. However it doesn’t make him like it. Now for me I didn’t really see the need for this in the book. It brought it down for me, because who wants a character to have to sleep with a female when we are all for men on men action.
Ness is a centaur but not like any one would know. He doesn’t act like the others and is damn sweet that you want to grab him and hug him. Now Sin is sad sometimes knowing that his feedings doesn’t make Ness feel good. However he truly loves Ness and shows it in other ways.
Then there is Kellen a cute little pixie that is being forced to serve a coven. A coven that wants to use his magic for evil. Now I must admit that I do like Kellen, Sin and Ness, but the way this book ended ruined the whole thing for me. I want Ness back with Sin and if you want Kellen then add him. Now I won’t go into detail because it will give the story away, but let’s just say it sucked.
I was happy with the way the book started but then it went downhill for me. So much so that I think I will skip the next book. It pissed me off but don’t get me wrong Kellen is a sweetie. I just didn’t like the twist that this book had at all. I do hope that in the next story they bring Ness back somehow. I absolutely hated this book but I suppose since it kept my attention I must read the next book.
It did its job though, caught my attention and kept me wanting for more of it.
Hello Angel and Bellora!
Hi Angel and Bellora, congratulations on your release.