Finding the Wolf by Mell Eight (Spotlight blitz, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) IBM ADULT title

 

 

 

Finding the Wolf

The Dragon's Hoard, Book One

ADULT title

by

 Mell Eight

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 06/14/2021

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 24600

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, dragons, werewolves, magic/magic users, interspecies, immortal, royalty, virgin, war

 

 

Description

When Prince Leon disappears, his people turn to the dragons for help. Nyle is the unlucky dragon tasked with finding Leon, a duty he dreads as it forces him into the confounding human world and far away from his collection of pretties.

Locating a missing prince should be a simple matter, but if Nyle has learned anything about humans since being forced among them, it’s that they needlessly complicate everything. When he finally locates the errant prince, however, what Nyle finds is a treasure worth all the complications—and worth protecting at any cost.

 

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Excerpt

 

Finding the Wolf
Mell Eight © 2021
All Rights Reserved

 

Nyle walked through the crowded bazaar with an eye on his coin purse. He had heard stories of humans who stole such things and did not wish to be the first of his kind to experience such ill luck.

He also kept an eye on the crowds. He doubted he would locate his quarry on his first foray into the human market, but there were clues he could find by simply being aware.

For example, the way the fishmonger in the corner stall blatantly gripped his meat cleaver as a group of ragged children exited an alleyway and dispersed into the bustle was probably a good indicator. Nyle would keep an eye on those children—they might have something to do with the disappearances of purses—but the man at the fish stall might have some interesting information. Nyle decided to head there first.

Someone jostled Nyle on their way toward a dour woman selling ribbons and beads across the way. He grimaced and held back a growl. They were humans, creatures clearly not versed in the niceties of society, and while their ignorance didn’t excuse them, it did allow Nyle to rationalize not taking the oafs who rudely bumped him to task. He had a job, and giving in to the urge to roar and breathe flames was not conducive to completing his task.

Nyle was dressed like a human. A loose pair of pants and a shirt that laced up the front comprised his costume, and if the fabric was of a tighter weave than the rest of the local class of humans, at least he looked the part.

“I’m searching for a young man,” Nyle said when he reached the wooden stall covered in fish. The fishmonger had known which children to watch. Perhaps he would also know Nyle’s target.

“Yeah?” the man asked. “Well, I haven’t seen any men around today.” He looked straight at Nyle, a male and only one of dozens who frequented the market, as he spoke.

Nyle guessed that was what humans called digging for incentives. His own kind didn’t much care for the art of blackmail.

Nyle reached into his carefully guarded purse and brought out two uncut copper coins, each enough to buy a small fish. He flashed the coins at the man and leaned forward.

“A tall man with very long black hair and blue eyes,” Nyle said as he pressed one coin to the wood surface of the stall.

The coin vanished into a gut-stained hand. “I seen him two days ago,” the man replied, eyes fixed greedily on the coin Nyle still held. “Not since then.”

Nyle set the second coin on the stall, but kept a finger on it. “Any idea where he could have gone? Or who else I could ask?”

The man tensed and kept his gaze fixed on the second coin as if he knew not to look into Nyle’s gold-colored eyes. Nyle slowly dragged the coin away from the man.

“The red-light district,” the man gasped out as if forced, his eyes stuck on the shiny coin. “You ask round there.”

Nyle released the coin, and the copper flashed in the late-morning sun. The fish man’s eyes remained riveted for another second before he shook himself free of the compulsion. The second coin vanished as quickly as the first, and the man looked up and caught Nyle’s eyes.

A mistake, but Nyle would use the fish man’s ignorance to his advantage.

“That boy ain’t right,” the man slurred, caught in the golden shine that filled the eyes of all Nyle’s kind. “Wild,” he continued, spilling everything he knew to the sheen in Nyle’s eyes, “as if a beast were trying to break free and fly away.”

Nyle blinked and looked away as the man sagged behind his booth. Nyle wasn’t feeling in top form either now. Catching someone with his eyes was more effective than using copper, but it cost him so much more magic. Nyle decided to return home for some rest before heading to the red-light district. Besides, he had heard humans preferred the nighttime for such activities.

Nyle didn’t really understand humans, but he was still young and would learn all there was to know eventually.

Purchase

 

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Amazon link

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the Author

When Mell Eight was in high school, she discovered dragons. Beautiful, wondrous creatures that took her on epic adventures both to faraway lands and on journeys of the heart. Mell wanted to create dragons of her own, so she put pen to paper. Mell Eight is now known for her own soaring dragons, as well as for other wonderful characters dancing across the pages of her books. While she mostly writes paranormal or fantasy stories, she has been seen exploring the real world once or twice.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

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Giveaway

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My review: 

3.75 out of 5 stars

 

 

Finding the Wolf by Mell Eight centers around the dragon Nyle (An’nanyle) whose quest to locate Leon, the youngest son of the human king, results in far more than he could ever dream of. Leon, having escaped one kind of captivity, may have to decide if he can cope with an arrangement that will take away his freedom for good.  

 

 

This gay paranormal tale is the first book in the ‘Dragon’s Hoard’ series and introduces an intriguing world that contains dragons, werewolves, humans, and other beings. I love seeing the contrast between the relative youngster, Nyle, and his older fellow dragons; and the idea of considering a being to be a “pretty” and part of a hoard is a delightfully novel concept to me. The dragons’ names used an imaginative system and I was entertained by analyzing the shortened versions.

 

Those who are bothered by “insta-love” tales will not appreciate this story, but I liked the bond that formed quickly between the two main characters and it was fun to see them interact in all of their aspects. There are multiple reminders that perception is in the eye of the beholder, and although many of the horrific aspects of negative actions are quickly glossed over, one can’t deny that the dragons can act pretty quickly when they set their minds to it!

 

As is usual for this author, just enough of this novel world was shared to pique one’s interest, and there are multiple dangling threads in this quick read, but I’m reassured by the knowledge that this is the first novel in the series, so I expect there to be more revelations in subsequent stories and I look forward to reading them.

 

 

A copy of this story was provided for review

Powered by Ghosts by Kaje Harper (Spotlight, excerpt, and review)

 

 Powered by Ghosts

Necromancer series, Book 2

ADULT title

by

Kaje Harper

 

An untrained sorcerer and a reclusive necromancer face a ghost-infested town.

Darien is free of his dead invaders, and his eyes have opened to a new reality. In a world of sorcerers and necromancers, he's full of power and potential, but completely ignorant. Necromancer Silas, and Silas's cat familiar, Grim, are teaching him basic skills, but danger won't hold off, just because he's not ready.

Silas never planned to share his life with anyone, but after a week of shared battles and shared nights, Darien has become a fixture in his home. Silas has never met anyone with more raw magical ability, or less idea what to do with it. When Silas is offered a job hunting ghosts, he's tempted to refill his depleted bank account, but reluctant to bring untrained Darien along. Darien's eager to help, though, and eventually Silas gives in. It's just a few ghosts. Nothing he hasn't handled before. What could go wrong? 

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Excerpt:

 

The nursing aide led them toward a flight of narrow stairs and on up. At the second landing she paused and gestured. “One more flight up, sirs. Then West is to your left.”

“Thank you.” Silas paused. “Can you tell me a bit about what’s going on? Doctor Cole was rather vague about it all.”

“I’m sure I couldn’t say.” She looked away.

Darien said in a warm tone, “Help a fellow out, would you? The doctor called my boss here to come in and take care of things, but all he would say was ‘some foolishness.’ That’s not much to go on.”

She turned to Darien. “Oh, well, if it would help.”

“It sure would.”

She wrung her hands, twisting her apron between her fingers. “It started with noises. People crying, from rooms we knew was empty. Thumps, like, in the hall behind us, and we’d turn and there was no one there.”

“Sounds scary.”

“I guess. I mean, this place has been here a long time. Stands to reason there might be a ghost or two. But this was more. It started… throwing things.”

“Really?” Darien sounded intrigued. “What things?”

“A nurse said it threw a bedpan at her head, when she’d just set it on the table a moment. And the man in that room was catatonic. Sure bet he didn’t do it. My friend that cleans the floors said it knocked over his bucket. Flooded the floor, and he was ten feet from it. Couldn’t be an accident.”

Silas said, “Has it hurt anyone?” Poltergeists were unusual, but not rare. Most were harmless. Some weren’t.

She eyed him, seeming more wary of him than Darien. “No, sir. Not to speak of. One of the aides said it tangled her feet with a blanket and she fell, but she barely bruised a knee.”

“Thank you.”

Nancy glanced up the stair. “Can you really get rid of it? You don’t need me no more, do you?”

“I hope I can,” Silas said. “And no, thank you. We can take it from here.”

She flashed another anxious look up the next flight, bobbed her head at each of them, and hurried off down the staircase.

Darien said quietly, “Do you believe her?”

“Oh yes. That’s not an unusual poltergeist pattern. Noises first, objects later.” He turned for the stairs. “Shields up, now. Come on.” He could see the gold glint of Darien’s powered shields out of the corner of his eye as they climbed.

At the top, the door opened into a dark hallway. He called a ball of light in his palm instead of flicking on the switch. “Ghosts don’t like bright light. It doesn’t hurt them, but it tends to drive them away. For some reason, poltergeists are less sensitive, but I want to see what we have here.”

He could hear Darien swallow. “You think it’s more than one?”

“There’s a good possibility.” He led the way to the middle of the hallway and turned in a circle, sending his search spell out. Ping, ping, here, here, here. “In fact, it’s a certainty.”

“What happens now.” Darien lowered his voice to a whisper. “Do you have to bring them to the River one by one?”

“Yes. But for a free ghost, it’s a quick process.” Usually. “If any of them have possessed a patient, that’s going to be a bit more work.”

He’d felt his cat-familiar Grim approaching through the strands of his seeking spell so only Darien jumped when Grim said out of the darkness, “This place stinks of death.”

“Don’t do that,” Darien muttered.

“Do what? Walk like a cat?” Grim head-butted Darien’s shins in a friendly way. “There’s a scullery window ajar on the ground floor, if we need a fast exit.”

“Good to know.” Silas dug in his pocket for his chalks. “Time to get to work…”

 

Buy links

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Author links:

 

Website

Facebook

Facebook Group: Kaje's Conversation Corner

Goodreads Author page

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My review:

4 out of 5 stars

 

Powered by Ghosts by Kaje Harper continues the adventures of newbie sorcerer Darien as he strives to be an equal partner to necromancer Silas. A job that requires dealing with the unexpected number of ghosts and poltergeists in a neighboring town may require talents that are beyond the fledgling sorcerer’s abilities, but finding new allies seem to be well within his capabilities.

 

 

This adult paranormal romance is the sequel to Marked by Death (my review is at this link) and continues immediately after the events in that story. Although it isn’t quite as intense as the first tale, there are fascinating elements, as well as an adorable familiar-in-training who almost steals the show. I like that Darien continues to experiment and fight to be an asset to the relationship while not being a pushover, and it is wonderful to watch the pair work to become secure in their relationship while respecting each other’s boundaries. It’s remarkable to think that they have known each other for such a short time, given how seamlessly they are learning to anticipate the other’s needs, and it’s heartwarming to see the genuine affection they display. This story would be best appreciated if the first in the series is read.

 

 

A copy was provided for review

 

 

The first in the series is FREE!

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Blind Warrior by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott (Blitz, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) IMG ADULT title

 

Blind Warrior

The Weavers Circle #3

by

Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

 

 

Publisher: Drake & Elliott Publishing LLC

Release Date: November 20, 2020

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 98k

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

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Synopsis

Grey Ackles

The Soul Weaver feels useless.

A burden endangering his brothers.

The last battle with the pestilents cost Grey his sight and powers.

Now he’s dependent on his vision rehabilitation therapist Cort to learn how to function on a daily basis.

But as he grows closer to Cort, Grey is left wanting his powers back for a new reason—how will he ever know if the man he’s falling for is actually his soul mate?

 

Cort Newton

There is some really weird stuff going on at that house.

Spell books, guns, and a giraffe in the backyard?

But no matter how strange it gets, Cort is not going to leave the grumpy writer.

Adjusting to sudden blindness is hard for everyone, but Grey clearly has deeper reason for needing his vision back at any cost. Cort just wished Grey would confide in him.

Even with Grey’s secrets, Cort has never been drawn to a man like he is with Grey and he will do anything to keep this man safe.

Blind Warrior is the third book in the Weavers Circle series. It includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, shapeshifting, brainwashed assassins, a gorilla, sexy times, fun with water, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, and magic!

 

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Excerpt

Grey reluctantly got out of the vehicle and felt his way to the warm hood. “Gotta be a lot of glass bottles in there for me to knock over,” he warned as Lucien placed a hand on his biceps.

“We’ll steer you in the right direction.” Lucien pressed on his arm as they started walking. “You need the exercise.”

“Makes more sense for me to wait in the—” he broke off when a horrid smell hit his nose. It was like rotting meat left out on a hot summer day. “Shit, pestilents,” he hissed. Fear gripped his heart, his lungs freezing in his chest. How the hell was he supposed to protect himself?

Pestilents were these…humanoid creatures…from another realm who were trying to kill him and his brother Weavers. Their world was dying, and they wanted to leech energy off this one to save their own. Grey and the other Weavers had been tasked to stop them, using magic they’d gained from three goddesses. Insane. All of it sounded absolutely insane, but it was now his life.

One positive was that they were easy to spot, thanks to their awful stink. They rotted slowly in this world because they didn’t belong.

“I just smelled them, too,” Lucien grumbled under his breath.

“Can you see them?” Grey asked.

“They have to be in the store. Do pestilents drink alcohol?” Baer’s voice was moving away from Grey, possibly toward the Jeep.

“How the hell would we know?” Lucien led Grey back, too. Doors opened around him and he reached out with his left hand, coming into contact with the familiar durable fabric covering the rear bench seat in Baer’s Jeep.

“That’s it? We’re going to run?” Grey slid inside the vehicle, inwardly fuming. They were running to protect him.

“You expect us to just attack them in broad daylight in a wine shop?” Baer’s voice came from the driver’s side this time. “I can’t believe they’re rallying forces this fast. We had a three-month break last time.”

“There is obviously more than one set out there, or they wouldn’t have been chasing us over the United States.” Grey grabbed the front seats and pulled himself forward to lean between them as Lucien got into the passenger side. “I don’t think we should just leave them.”

Lucien cleared his throat. “I see only one at the counter now.”

“Doesn’t mean there aren’t more in the back,” Baer countered.

“Why don’t you go in there and lure him out?” Lucien suggested. “See that field behind those trees? We could fight it there.”

Grey saw nothing, but he didn’t bother to point that out. All he knew was, he felt wrong running and leaving any pestilents free to attack them later. Or even an innocent human who just happened to get in their way. If there were only a few, Baer and Lucien would be able to easily take care of them on their own. “I think that’s a good idea. But you should both go inside, just in case there are more than one.”

“And leave you help-er…alone out here?” Baer snapped. He cursed softly. “Sorry, Grey.”

But he was fucking helpless, and he knew it. Before losing his sight, his powers hadn’t done a lot when it came to fighting, but he’d been able to shoot a gun, use a knife. He wasn’t bad in a fight. And he’d been able to serve as a lookout, offer cover for his brothers. Now, he didn’t even have that.

Of course, his powers were tied to his sight, so he couldn’t use those. All he got were the occasional broken thoughts and emotions from others. His ability to see auras had been nipped in the bud. As was his ability to see into people’s souls, to read their past, motives, desires, and thoughts. He didn’t know if he could still manipulate people, hadn’t even tried.

“I’m going in,” Baer announced. “I’ll lure him into the field and shift into something fierce. We’ll dispatch this asshole, grab our booze, and go home.”

Purchase at Amazon

 

 

 

Meet the Authors

 

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | eMail

 

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Giveaway

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My review:

 

3.75 stars

 

Blind Warrior by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott is the third book in ‘The Weavers’ Circle’ series and picks up after the traumatic events in the previous book. Grey Ackles is not dealing well with his blindness, which prevents him from fulfilling any of his duties. His new therapist, Cort Newton, is determined to rehabilitate him, but has no idea of how much is truly at stake.

 

This adult gay urban fantasy continues the saga of the Weavers, whose circle is incomplete, and therefore are unable to truly repel the attack of the creatures known as Pestilents. Although the story evoked Grey’s frustration and sense of guilt as well as Cort’s amazement at the revelations of the Weavers, I didn’t feel a strong connection to either of the main characters. I have not read the other books in the series, so perhaps that is part of the problem, but I wasn’t drawn into the struggles, and I felt things were a bit predictable. There are some relatively lighthearted moments that showcased the other Weavers, and I enjoyed the water Weaver’s explorations, and I am definitely curious about what the other missing “brother” can do.

 

 

A copy of this title was provided for review