Belega by Dianne Hartsock (spotlight, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

Belega

by 

Dianne Hartsock

 

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GENRE: Erotic Fantasy Romance (M/M)

 

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BLURB:

 

The Karthagans have regained their ancient powers of manipulating nature, but at the price of madness. In their lust for control, they've destroyed their island and most of their race. They come now to Belega, where one of them, Camron, seeks domination over the known world. The Mage has come from the northern continent of Sennia to bring peace but finding his strength no match for the coming struggle, he passes his abilities on to Natan, who only desires a simple life.

 

Now only Natan has the ability to stop Camron, but the personal cost is more than he imagines. It is only with the combined strength of his friends, his Karthagan lover, Kavi, and his deep desire to bring lasting peace to the earth, that he finds the courage to overcome Camron and restore balance to the world.

 

 

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Exclusive Excerpt:

 

Natan returned to the beach and walked along the shoreline, his mind racing. He would need to kill a man on the marrow. His nature screamed in horror with the thought, a knot of dread tangling in his gut. There had to be another way, but he couldn’t see it.

 

As the sun began to set, he threw himself on the sand and rolled to his back, then fell to dreaming about Kavi. He knew he shouldn’t, but the sun shone warmly on his face, and the ceaseless waves were making him drowsy. Wistfully, he wondered if Kavi could marry a fisherman. He didn’t think he would mind. After all, Kavi’s family had fished the sea. And it would be easy enough to put in a raised bed in the back of the house for a vegetable garden, if Kavi wished...

 

He pictured Kavi in his mind, and faint heat rose in his face. Of course, Kavi was lovely, all his people were handsome, but Natan remembered the sparkle in his dark eyes when they’d first met, reflecting the joyous spirit within. Natan would give anything to see happiness in Kavi’s face again. Anything to be the one to put it there.

 

Someone sat beside him. Natan peered through his lashes, wondering if he should feign sleep. His breath caught at the sight of Kavi so close. Natan was reaching for him before he recalled himself and scrambled to sit up.

 

“Hello,” he stammered, then cleared his throat.

 

“Did I wake you?” Kavi asked as he wrapped his arms around his knees. “I hope you don’t mind that I came looking for you.”

 

“You didn’t wake me.” Natan turned his gaze to the sea. Kavi had caught him off guard, and his love was pounding through his body as relentless as the tide. How was he to keep it from him? But then, why should he? He believed he could make Kavi happy. In time maybe Kavi could learn to love him in return.

 

His breath quickened. He’d do better not to think of that. If Kavi could only care for him a little, the heavens knew he had enough love for both of them. Natan leaned toward him, the confession trembling on his tongue.

 

But Kavi began to speak, and Natan’s words turned to ash in his mouth.

 

Kavi’s accusations battered at him. “I understand why you did it, Natan. Why you took our power from us and kept it for yourself. But did you have to let my father die as well? Were you that threatened by him?”

 

“What?” Natan faltered, dazed by the cruel attack. “Do you truly believe me capable of that?”

 

Triumph gleamed in Kavi’s eyes. “Yes I do, though it’s not your fault. The madness had us all at one time, dear. I’m sure Kirstin can help you, as well.”

 

Natan rose to his feet, his heart leaden. “I’m sorry if…” He couldn’t continue and gave Kavi a deep bow, acknowledging all that he had said.

 

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of m/m romance, paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind.

 

She now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her hands, which kindles her imagination.

 

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

 

Blog 

FaceBook

FaceBook Author Page

Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here

 

Melting the Ice Witch by Mell Eight (Blitz, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) IMD

Melting the Ice Witch

Dragon's Hoard, Book Four

by

 Mell Eight

 

 

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 01/18/2022

Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 27400

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, mythical creatures, dragon shifters, witches, tundra

Add to Goodreads

 

Description

The Tribe of the White Dragon has lived in the frozen wastes of the north for thousands of years, but they are slowly dying without their dragon to protect them from the inhospitable cold.

In desperation, they kidnap Kam, hoping to use him to breed witch power back into the Tribe. But Kam is not a witch, and there is nothing he can do to save them—until he sees the white dragon encased in ice and all alone and a chain reaction is set off that may save them after all.

 

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Excerpt

Melting the Ice Witch
Mell Eight © 2022
All Rights Reserved

“In the before times, when the cold ice and biting wind were welcoming to our kind, dragons flew,” the old storyteller warbled. The man was bent and gray, and his crabbed hands shook on his gnarled staff, but his voice still held the power that had made him the storyteller of the Tribe in his youth.

“The golden dragon rained fire and melted the ice, and the white dragon taught the Tribe the spells to survive the difficult, yet beautiful, climate. Together, the gold and white kept these plains of ice tamed, and the Tribe survived in plenty.”

The old man’s voice reached Kam even from the other side of the fire. Warmth in the ice wastes was hard to come by, especially for one not of the Tribe, so Kam appreciated his place near the flickering flames. His brown hair was city short, which meant his ears and neck were exposed to the cold wind. The barbarians all had hair that reached well down their backs, tied in intricate braids with feathers and stones woven throughout. None had hair more elaborate than Lor, the man with the snow-white hair and ice blue eyes who had the seat of honor next to the storyteller.

“But—” The storyteller’s voice darkened, and Kam felt his chest clench at the ominous tone. “—such times were not meant to last. The golden one gathered his followers around him and declared that for the happiness of dragon-kind they must separate themselves from the wars of humans. No more deaths of dragons, was the golden one’s goal, but the white dragon disagreed with his methods.

“They fought with their words, their arguments echoing through the icy canyons, but neither would back down. The white dragon knew that to abandon the humans was to allow the Tribe, his hoard, to die in the ice wastes. But the golden one wished to keep his kin alive and to do so he needed to rule the humans, not be ruled by human whim.

“The best of friends, and possibly lovers, the golden dragon and the white dragon never spoke again. All but the white dragon flew south, where the plains are formed of grass rather than ice. There they settled in the mountains. They built a city for the humans in the foothills. And the white dragon withdrew to the ice caves, alone.”

The storyteller bowed his head in sadness, but Lor’s piercing eyes scanned the assembled members of the Tribe.

“So we survive.” Lor continued the story. His voice was strong, but as the leader of the Tribe, he had to be. Lor was the tallest and most muscular of all the barbarians, and he was the only witch the clan still had. “Bereft of the dragons who allowed us life in the barren waste of ice and snow, the Tribe learned new ways to survive. We adapted, so after tens of thousands of years, we still live.” Kam looked around at the assembled Tribe and frowned. There were barely sixty people of all ages and genders still remaining in the circle around the fire. He had learned that there was another clan to the northwest with equal numbers. But most alarmingly, there were only two witches left: Lor and the man named Bay who led the other clan. There were no female witches to pass the traits on, nor had any of Lor’s children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren shown any aptitude during Lor’s hundreds of years of life.

The Tribe was dying.

That was why Kam had been brought north. The only way to invigorate the clans was to breed more witch blood into the lines. The hope was if Kam were to have a child with one of the descendants of Lor, maybe a child with powers could be born. But Kam wasn’t a witch, and he hadn’t exactly been asked before he was kidnapped and taken to the ice wastes.

“We live and we are strong,” Lor continued. “The Tribe of the White Dragon does not fade away!”

The barbarians cheered loudly around Kam, but Kam didn’t join them. As the assemblage broke up, Kam returned to his small tent. Once the barbarians had been sure he wouldn’t run away—as if there were some way to survive in the endless ice wastes for a city-bred boy—they had given Kam his own space. The tent was small, with barely enough room for bedding and a small wooden chest filled with the meager belongings he had accumulated in the last few weeks, but it was heavy with furs and thick woolen blankets that kept the cold and the wind out. Kam curled up in his bed, glad when his blankets began to warm with his body heat, and closed his eyes.

The barbarians were nice enough despite the fact that he couldn’t give them what they wanted. And it was better than being back in the city. Kam went to sleep with that thought firmly in mind. As much as he had disliked being kidnapped and taken to the barren north, it was still better than what he endured in the city. His thoughts focused on those times as he drifted to sleep.

«

“Kam, Kam, the witchery man,” the kids sang as Kam walked past them. He ducked his head, but otherwise kept himself from acknowledging their taunts. His mother hadn’t exactly been discreet with her passions, and lying with the resident witch had supposedly produced Kam. Since the man in question was a charlatan and his mother had never actually said he was Kam’s father before they both died…well, all that didn’t matter to everyone else. To them, Kam had witch blood, and in his part of the city, he was someone to be ridiculed.

Kam pushed his way into the small shop where he worked. The bell jingled overhead.

“Kameron, you’re late!” the harpy who was his boss screeched from behind the front counter. As usual, the place was dirty and the goods covered the shelves with haphazard organization. The sour smell that had appeared early last week had only grown worse overnight.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Kam murmured, ducking his head further as he wended his way through the mishmash stacks of random goods and into the back room. The pawnshop bought and sold everything. Sailors on leave after making the journey down the Great River came to the shop to sell what they could so they would have the funds to drink and carouse in the bars and whorehouses that also populated that part of the docks.

It was Kam’s job to clean and fix those often grimy and broken items so the owner could in turn sell them for profit to a higher quality pawnshop in the northern part of the city. It paid well for the woman, but Kam only saw a few coins a week for his work. As the witchery man he was lucky to have a job, so as much as Kam wished, there was no way he could find better prospects.

Kam worked hard for his pay, and at the end of the day his hands ached, but his quota was met. He left the shop at dusk and hurried home. He couldn’t tarry, because the docks became very dangerous after dark, and since his rent was due, he couldn’t afford to stop for dinner anyway.

He walked up the three flights of rickety stairs to his tiny apartment. It was one room, barely large enough to hold his threadbare bedding and one change of clothes, but it was a place to sleep. He had left one window cracked while he was away so the three cats that had crept in during the previous night could leave if they wished. The family of mice that lived under his floorboards were running about, so Kam was careful where he placed his feet as he walked over to collapse on his blanket.

One of the mice climbed up onto his pillow and gently nuzzled him on the nose. The mouse was hungry, too, and was probably looking for crumbs, but Kam appreciated the meager comfort his small friend could provide. Kam smiled, despite his rumbling stomach, as he slowly fell asleep.

 

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

 Amazon

 

 

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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

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

 

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 My review:

 

4.25 stars

 

 

Melting the Ice Witch by Mell Eight is Book Four in the ‘Dragon Hoard’ series, and centers around the adventures of Kam as he assimilates into the harsh society of those who live in the frozen wastes. His ability to discern what the animals around him feel makes the kidnapped man able to make a contribution to the Tribe, and encourages Lor, the leader, to value him and see him in a new light.

 

The fantasy gay romance stories in this series continue to delight and entertain. I love the way history has unfolded over the arc of these tales, and I’m always delighted when characters from previous stories pop up in the current one. The unusual dragon youth, Tori practically steals the show, with his charming combination of naivete, curiosity, and determination, and the vivid descriptions of the dangers of life in such a cold climate added to the tension and allure of the story.

 

Although it is possible to read this story as a stand-alone tale, it will be much better appreciated if the other stories in the series are read first, to get an introduction to various characters and societies. The world-building is fun and fascinating, and enhances the tales.

 

I look forward to each of these stories because they are refreshingly different takes on dragons, witches, and werewolves, and this one did a great job of weaving together many of the elements that were introduced in previous episodes. I can’t wait to find out what new adventures await.

 

A copy of this title was provided for review.

 

 

Winter of the Owl by Iris Foxglove (Spotlight, excerpt, and review) GRR

 

 

Winter of the Owl
by

Iris Foxglove

Seasons of the Loki, Book 1

Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Tropes: Suddenly married! Stuck in a cabin/snowed in a cabin, only one bed, fish out of water, opposites attract.
Content: Grief, discussions of past emotional abuse, attempted murder, on-page kink re: use of gags, bondage, d/s.
Heat: 4 out of 5

 

BLURB

Sava has the best house in all of Lukos. He built it himself, dreaming of the day when he and Milan, the man he loved, could live there and brave the harsh winters of Lukos together—only to be devastated when Milan was found dead in the spring. Fraught with grief, Sava resigns himself to spending his winters alone.

Then a stranger appears on his doorstep, and everything changes.

Victor is a scholar from Gerakia, a land known for its long summers and vibrant history, and he has never been more unprepared in his life. Abandoned on the inhospitable island of Lukos after a disastrous relationship, Victor has to adapt quickly to survive. It helps, of course, that he’s taken in by Sava, who has the biggest heart of any man Victor has ever known. Victor and Sava start to make a home together, growing close as snow falls outside, but the true danger of a Lukos winter is closer than they suspect...

 

 

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My review:

 

4.25 stars

 

Winter of the Owl by Iris Foxglove is the first book in the ‘Seasons of the Lukoi’ series, and features aspiring scholar Victor, whose anticipated expedition to learn more about the mysterious Lukoi changes his life. Bereaved Sava Snow-Walker never expects to meet a person who focuses so much on studying as Victor, but while helping the alluring newcomer survive the harsh winter, he discovers that there are more dangers than he ever anticipated.

 

This adult gay fantasy romance provides a mesmerizing glimpse of a society carved out of necessity. The vivid imagery and harsh surroundings contrast beautifully with the gradual awakening of a naïve and submissive young man with a thirst for knowledge. I loved that dominant Sava was so patient, and I enjoyed watching Victor forging a bond with and impacting the resourceful man even as he continuously thirsts for more and more knowledge. The shifting perspectives of the societies formed are mirrored by other developments in the story, and although some things are pretty strongly foreshadowed, the tale still kept me turning the pages rapidly. I hope that some of the magical elements will be featured more prominently in the next book and anxiously look forward to learning even more about the Lukoi.

 

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stealing the Dragon by Mell Eight (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY)

 

 

 Stealing the Dragon

Dragon's Hoard, Book Three

 

by

 Mell Eight

 

 

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 12/14/2021

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 26800

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, bonded mates, royalty, prison, interspecies, mythical creatures, dragon shifters

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Description

Stealing from a dragon’s hoard is never a bright idea, but stealing from a baby dragon’s hoard can lead to tears, sniffles, and smoke in the middle of a busy marketplace.

Jerney, a witch who does work for a well-known thieves’ guild, knows exactly who’s to blame for the brazen theft. With no other choice in the matter, he quickly becomes entangled in trying to help the baby dragon. What he doesn’t expect is his own heart might get stolen in the process.

 

 

Excerpt

Stealing the Dragon
Mell Eight © 2021
All Rights Reserved

“Tori, you’re the only one I can send. I’m sorry.”

Tori looked up from where he was carefully shining his favorite ruby necklace and glared at his human uncle Bast.

“This time you really are the only one. Rex and Jag are both out of the city, and we needed this solved five years ago.”

Uncle Bast’s expression showed real remorse at having to pull Tori from his hoard room, but that didn’t make Tori feel any better. He wasn’t human, regardless of the fact that his shape was. Both of his parents were dragons, and he was the result of an experiment on what would happen if dragons tried to procreate in human form. Instead of being born in dragon shape from an egg, as all dragons were, Tori had been born from a womb in human form as humans were.

The fact that his mother had managed to stay in human form for the requisite nine months surprised Tori every time he went to visit her. Gail was the flightiest of dragons, and sometimes she barely remembered she had two sons and that one of them, Tori, was stuck in human form until he matured enough to shift.

At eighteen, Tori was still a baby dragon. He hadn’t even reached his second decade yet! His older brother Nyle was still considered to be a child, and he had lived for centuries. But humans didn’t understand that Tori should still be cave-bound, barely starting to learn about pretties and his magic. Eighteen years old for a human was considered to be the age of adulthood when young men and women were expected to take on adult responsibilities. Raised among humans, Tori was able to act at least close to that age, but it was hard to pretend maturity sometimes.

Eight months ago, his uncle Bast had forced Tori to take command of a rank of troops. Tori had tried to treat it as an experiment, to see if a dragon could handle warring humans. Needless to say, it had failed, and the humans had blamed Tori as if Tori should have been old enough to understand what had gone wrong.

Three months ago, Bast had given Tori some basic investigation work in the castle. A servant had been stealing the silver. Tori had just shrugged off the investigation entirely. If the humans didn’t consider the silver their hoard, then they had no right to keep someone from taking it. Luckily, even the human servant stealing from the castle had known better than to touch Tori’s small hoard.

There was no way Uncle Bast was sending Tori out on another investigation. Tori would prefer to move in with his big brother Nyle, even if Nyle and Leon were a bit sickening with their snuggling all the time. Tori turned his back on Uncle Bast and went back to polishing his ruby necklace set in gold.

He held it up to his hair, admiring the fact that the red parts of his hair so closely matched the ruby and the gold parts of his hair matched the gold setting. That was another strange thing about him. Tori was stuck in human form until his magic matured enough to allow him a second shape, and instead of solely being gold like his father, Tori had both his parents’ coloring. Being bicolored, red and gold, was odd for a dragon, but it pleased Tori to be so pretty.

“There’s a witch spell casting for the thieves’ guild!” Uncle Bast tried to explain. “They’ve been getting away with crimes for almost ten years. I just need you to locate the witch; that’s all.”

Tori finished polishing his favorite necklace and clasped it around his neck. His glance around the small storeroom filled with his pretties showed that nothing was out of place or in need of polish. Tori stood with a groan and walked over to his small pile of rubies. He felt the urge to curl up on the rubies. There was one advantage to being in human shape: as a dragon, the pile would only serve as a pillow, but as a human, his entire shape would fit on it.

Tori gave into the urge without much thought. He spread a soft blanket to keep the sharp points from digging into his skin and curled up with one hand buried in red and purple brilliance.

“Tori!” Uncle Bast snapped from the doorway. Tori ignored him, and soon enough his uncle sighed as if disappointed and left. Tori snuggled deeper into his blanket and took a nap.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

 

 

 

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

One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!

Competition hosted by NineStar Press. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

 

 

   

 

 

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My review:

 

4.25 stars

 

Stealing the Dragon by Mell Eight is the third book in the ‘Dragon’s Hoard’ series and centers on young Tori, An’tatori, the special offspring of dragons Gail and Toel. He crosses paths with the witch Jerney, whose sister prompts their meeting. Jerney has no idea he’s about to become deeply embroiled in a dragon’s life, but his life will never be the same.

 

 

This gay fantasy story is charming and imaginative and is a wonderful addition to the series. The concept of Tori being a baby dragon but an eighteen-year-old human is a little mind-boggling, but provides a fascinating twist to the story. I’m always entertained by these stories, whose whimsicality reminds me of the Patricia Wrede dragon stories, and I was delighted that the characters from the previous episodes made cameo appearances. I’m disappointed when this author’s stories end, and I anxiously await new additions to the series. Hopefully other of the secondary characters will get their own time in the spotlight and we’ll also be able to see how Tori matures. Although this story can be read as a stand-alone tale, it will be better savored if the previous two are read first.

 

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

The Coup and the Prince by Mell Eight (Spotlight, excerpt, and review) IBM

 

The Coup and the Prince

by

 Mell Eight

 

 

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 05/17/2021

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 19900

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, royalty, kidnapping, war, poverty, law enforcement, military, revenge, prostitution

Add to Goodreads

 

 

 

Description

The coup should have been simple: oust the tyrannical regents and restore the rightful heir to the throne. No one expected the rightful heir to be dead, or for his younger brother to be missing. The search for the missing prince is important, but not as important as putting the destroyed country back together. At least, that’s what Aiden thinks until he stumbles on a terrible crime ring and a pair of beautiful green eyes that might just derail everything he’s been working towards.

 

 

Excerpt

The Coup and the Prince
Mell Eight © 2021
All Rights Reserved

One
Aiden

Meetings, meetings, meetings! His whole life was meetings!

Aiden was going to go mad, screaming and hair pulling included, if he had to go to another meeting. As if that weren’t bad enough, after the endless rounds of meetings, he had paperwork. Endless bloody stacks of paperwork. For every piece he finished, another fucking dozen appeared on his desk. He couldn’t escape from it all. He was a frigging soldier, not a paper pusher, and he hated sitting still. His new position as captain of the guard required he attend to his new duties, rather than actually being out in the city where the real work was, but Aiden was thinking of stuffing it all and running away.

In fact, that sounded like a great idea. Fuck them all anyway. He deserved a long weekend off. Aiden slammed his pen down on his desk, glad to have his decision made, and stood with a violent shove of his chair.

“I’m done for the day,” he snapped to his shocked-looking secretary across the room.

Ernest nodded. Aiden had worked with Ernest long enough to know Ernest would have blindly agreed even if Aiden had declared he was off to fuck a duck, but Ernest didn’t mind the damned paperwork, so Aiden kept the kid around anyway.

“It’s after midnight, sir,” Ernest replied softly. “Shall I hold your appointments until tomorrow afternoon?”

Aiden winced at the thought of having any more meetings. “Push them until Monday morning. I should be able to think straight by then.” If he had to go to another meeting any earlier than Monday, he might actually snap and strangle someone.

Ernest nodded in agreement again and quickly made a note in the ledger on his desk before jumping up to help Aiden with his coat.

“What should I tell Major Trell, sir, if he comes calling?” Ernest asked before Aiden could fasten his buttons and get out the door to freedom.

“Tell the old bastard that he should have planned a little better before he threw his coup, and anything that goes wrong in my absence is his fault,” Aiden snapped as he wrenched the door open and slammed it behind him.

A muffled “Yes, sir” sounded from behind the door.

“And take tomorrow off too, Ernest,” Aiden yelled before stomping off.

Aiden didn’t go to his rooms in the castle. He could easily be found there and dragged off to something “vitally important” that Aiden didn’t give a fuck about. He needed to be out there doing, not sitting on his ass.

Before the coup, Aiden had led men. He had been in charge of keeping the city safe, catching criminals and murderers and putting them behind bars so people felt safe at night. He had loved the job and the men and women he had commanded. Trell, the bastard, had promised Aiden he could have his job back after the coup. Hell, that was one of the reasons Aiden had joined with Trell in the first place.

The coup had been a disaster, plain and simple. They had taken power back from the regents, yes, but instead of reinstating the heir like they had originally planned, they were stuck putting the country back together themselves.

Ten years before the coup, the king had started forgetting things. It was only recent edicts, meeting times, and simple things in the beginning, but five years ago, when he forgot the names of his wife and two sons, the physicians declared the king needed to be sequestered for his own safety.

The king’s oldest child was only fifteen at the time, so the council had chosen the grand duke and the queen to act as joint regents on behalf of the heir until he came of age. Given how quickly the councilors chose two people mostly unsuited for the task, Aiden had little doubt they had been bribed. Aiden would have let it go—that was politics after all—except then the council had allowed the regents’ excess to take over.

For the subsequent five years of the regents’ rule, food, goods, and a lot of money had gone into the castle and only bodies had come out. Taxes were raised, and the crown stopped paying for the goods it consumed. Prices for wheat skyrocketed after a late-summer storm wiped out much of one year’s crops, and the crown demanded more instead of helping the people it served.

The last straw for Aiden had been when the city guard had been disbanded. His beloved troops were left penniless and without prospects, as was he for that matter. When Trell approached Aiden, Aiden had been more than happy to lend his influence to the coup.

The queen and the grand duke had been killed in the fighting. The king had survived the coup, somehow. Trell and Aiden had gone to see him once the castle was secured and found a clueless and helpless child in place of the strong man Aiden remembered.

Trell had always planned to reinstate the king’s heir to the throne, not take power himself—which was why he was still considered a major despite the fact he was basically running the country—but when they broke into the heir’s room, they had found him lying in bed, dead. His body had been left where he had been murdered, and when Trell’s soldiers entered the room months later, they found a bloated and decaying mass of nearly indistinguishable flesh. No doubt the regents had claimed he was “indisposed” or something equally indelicate to keep anyone from asking questions, and removing the prince from the picture had also removed anyone who might have had the power to protest the regents’ actions.

The king’s younger son and only other child had never been located, had in fact been missing since the regents took power, which meant the task of putting the city and country back together after five years of mismanagement fell to Trell and Aiden. It also meant that, while the city guard had been reinstated, Aiden couldn’t be there for his troops until everything else had also been cleaned up. Instead, he was stuck with the bloody paperwork.

Still, one night walking the beat would go far to lift his spirits. Aiden couldn’t stop a small smile from stretching his lips at the thought. One night to remind him what he was working so bloody hard to achieve might even reground him. The sooner he finally got through those endless fucking piles of paperwork, the sooner he could return to the job he actually liked.

He did try to keep abreast of some of the cases that were baffling his troops. Ernest put together a weekly report for him, and Aiden always found the time to read it. The most distressing one on the list was the ring of underage prostitutes. Ordinarily it would be easy enough to find the pimp and arrest him and then find safe homes for the kids being abused, but there were mitigating circumstances. No one could actually locate the pimp, for one, and for another, any time one of the kids actually spoke to the guard they were found with their throats slit the next morning.

Aiden wasn’t in uniform, and it had been quite a few years since he had been able to patrol the lower city; maybe his face wouldn’t be recognized. He could easily pretend to be just another man out looking for a suck and a poke.

With his plans firmly in mind, Aiden finished sneaking out of the castle and headed into the city proper. He had a small townhouse where he would change clothes into something more disreputable and then go see what delights the lower city had to offer him.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

 

 

 

 

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

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My review: 

4 stars

 

 

The Coup and the Prince by Mell Eight follows Aiden, whose duties as a captain of the guard are almost overwhelming after the deposition of the horrific regents who have almost ruined the country. His determination to destroy an underage prostitution ring results in his meeting a surprisingly unworldly Camden, who has desperately resorted to trying to sell himself to survive. Their unexpected mutual attraction results in far more changes than either could have ever anticipated.

 

This gay fantasy romance is a quick fun novella that gives a glimpse of a complicated country that is recovering from the abuses of unscrupulous rulers. I liked watching the interactions between the various characters and the organic development of their relationships, not only between the main couple, but also the secondary characters. One of the reasons I enjoy reading this author’s stories is her ability to create likeable characters who have hidden depths, and I enjoyed the twists and turns provided by the various players introduced as the story progresses.

 

The world-building is always sparingly doled out, and, as usual, the tale was much shorter than I would have liked. I felt like I was coming in on the middle of the story because so much had already taken place, and I looked to see if this was part of a series. I didn’t immediately come across a related book, but I’d love to know if there is one. I enjoyed getting to meet Cam and his friend and mentor, Day, and I liked seeing that Cam’s relationship with Aiden isn’t quite as unequal as it first seemed. Hopefully, there will be more stories featuring these engaging folks.

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

Purgatory Playhouse by E.J. Russell (Spotlight, excerpt, and review)

 

Purgatory Playhouse

by

E.J. Russell

 

 

Staging a musical in Purgatory can be absolute hell.

Lonnie Coleridge last saw the sun in 1968. Since then, he’s been consigned to Limbo, still wearing the same tie-dyed T-shirt and bell-bottomed jeans he had on when he left his life behind. He and others like him have one chance each year at redemption: produce a show for the Greek pantheon. Whoever pleases this very specific—and temperamental—fan group could earn the right to move on.

But after a literal act of god (*cough* Hermes *cough*) destroys their sets, lights, and costumes, the company needs emergency help to rebuild. Without it, all of them could poof out of existence forever. 

Out-of-work theater technician TD Baylor has precisely three things on his cosmic wish list: a job, a place to stay, and a boyfriend who isn’t a total tool. He thinks he’s got the first two nailed when he gets a line on a two-week gig that includes room and board. So what if the job tip came from a guy who was leaning way too hard into the LOTR cosplay at a sketchy Halloween pop-up? At this point, TD doesn’t have anything more to lose, so he figures…what the hell.

He didn’t realize hell was the operative word.

When Lonnie greets him at the theater door, though...whoa. TD fantasizes that item number three could be within his reach. But then Lonnie gives him the bad news: This is Purgatory Playhouse, aka Theater of the Darned. In two weeks—if they’re lucky and can successfully mount a musical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream—the company will return to Limbo after the curtain falls. If they’re not lucky?

Remember that part about hell?

Purgatory Playhouse is part of the multi-author Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains a theater techie who’s one couch surf away from homeless, a production assistant who’s sort of, um, not alive, Greek gods behaving very badly indeed, and a guaranteed HEA.

 

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 Excerpt:

 

TD tracked the drift of steam from the cauldrons up to the ceiling where purple-tinged smoke roiled and twisted.

He frowned at the thick clouds. He’d wrangled enough fog machines in his career to know that prolonged exposure to this kind of shit wasn’t good for performers’—or technicians’—lungs. Didn’t the owner of this shop care about his employees’ health?

Come to think of it, where were the employees? The glittery arrows on the floor seemed to pulse, pointing the way around the mermaid. Oookay then. He’d find somebody and warn them that they really needed to ventilate this place better or they’d be cruising for a worker’s comp bruising.

The rear of the shop, however, was as empty as the front. A half-open door stood behind a bulky counter. TD had to hand it to the place—that counter looked like actual stone. He’d worked with some talented scenic artists in his day, folks who could make plywood look like marble and masonite look like cracked linoleum. Hell, he’d done it himself, and his skills lay more in set construction than decoration. He rapped one knuckle against the counter, directly below a shelf holding an extremely ratty burlap sack.

“Shit!” He rubbed his hand, the skin abraded enough to show a little blood. The damn counter was as rough and unforgiving as actual granite.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize anybody was here.”

TD glanced up from his skinned knuckles. A tall, willowy man, pointed ears protruding from his long platinum blond hair, suddenly popped up from behind the counter. Clearly the guy was leaning way in to the LOTR motif, down to the jerkin that looked like real suede as opposed to a cheap Halloween knock-off. “No worries. I was just, uh, looking around.” TD eyed the sack. “Although there’s not a lot to look at. Where’s all your stock?”

“Oh. Um.” The guy glanced at the door in the rear wall as it swung open to reveal the Gandalf-equivalent to the clerk’s Legolas. Except instead of Ian McKellen’s somewhat ruddy complexion, this guy’s skin had a cooler tone, almost as if he were standing under a baby spotlight with an ice-blue gel. He nodded at not-Legolas and disappeared behind the door without uttering a word.

“Was that your boss?” TD asked. “Because I need to talk to him.”

The guy’s eyes—tip-tilted and green as new leaves—widened. “Nobody talks to Marden.” His diagonal brows bunched. “Well, I guess it’s more accurate to say Marden talks to nobody.” He smiled brightly. “I’m Joril, and it will be my honor to assist you.”

“Hmmm.” TD narrowed his eyes. “You have any trouble breathing?”

Joril blinked, then sniffed experimentally. “Should I?”

“Your lungs don’t bother you? No urge to cough? No pain in your chest?”

“No. Why?”

TD pointed to the smoke swirling above them. “Because this fog effect, as atmospheric as it is, could be affecting your health. Do you know what chemical your boss is using?”

Joril’s expression cleared. “Oh! That’s easy. Magic.”

TD didn’t roll his eyes. Much. “Magic. Right.” The Emporium’s staff was probably paid to perpetuate the illusion. Hell, if they paid him, TD could swear it was actual fumes from the Cracks of Doom. “I, uh, don’t suppose you need any help?”

Joril glanced at the door where the Gandalf clone—excuse me, Marden—had disappeared. “Does it show that much?”

TD gestured to the empty shop. “Granted, there’s not a lot of traffic at the moment—”

“I know. I think that’s the only reason Marden picked me.” He smiled diffidently. “It’s my first day. I really need the job since my clan lost that wager with the Underlake dwarves.”

With a Herculean effort, TD controlled his irritation. It was one thing to not to break character—any performer worth their union card managed that as soon as the curtain rose—but it was another to bury yourself in the part when you were in actual physical danger. “Right.”

 

Amazon link

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Author info:

E.J. Russell (she/her) ), author of the award-winning Mythmatched LGBTQ+ paranormal romance series, holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she spent three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business intelligence consultant (as one does). She’s now abandoned data wrangling, however, and spends her days wrestling words across a rainbow of genres. Count on high snark, low angst, and happy endings.

 

Reality? Eh, not so much.

 

She’s married to Curmudgeonly Husband, a man who cares even less about sports than she does. Luckily, CH loves to cook, or all three of their children (Lovely Daughter and Darling Sons A and B) would have survived on nothing but Cheerios, beef jerky, and satsuma mandarins (the extent of E.J.’s culinary skill set).

 

E.J. lives in rural Oregon, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

 

 

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My review:

 

4.5 stars

 

 

Purgatory Playhouse by E.J. Russell follows the adventures of theater technician TD Baylor, who is dealing with a perfect storm of problems. When he stumbles into Marden’s Magic Emporium, a fortuitous ad seems like the answer to his prayers…even though it’s wrapped around three giant dog biscuits that he doesn’t really have a use for…or does he? Thus begins an adventure that leads him to meet his idol, Alonzo Coleridge, but that’s impossible, just as impossible as their mutual attraction that can only last until the production goes on, right? Anything can happen when the Greek pantheon is involved, and they’re definitely involved!

 

This fantasy gay romance takes one on a wonderful and wacky adventure that features a very special theater production. The gradual revelation of the various characters that figure prominently in popular Greek myths and the restitutions or revelations that change the direction of their “lives” are very creative. The story is a wonderful twist on the idea of Purgatory, and a very fun look at the Greek gods and their foibles, plus a sweet romance.

 

I’m always delighted to see a new story by this author, because there’s always a novel perspective on traditional tropes and myths. I adore the creativity that is mixed with realistic facts, and this visit to the Theater of the Darned grabbed my attention and provided humor and entertainment throughout the entire story. Those who need a refresher (or an introduction) to the myths alluded to, or details about theater production, or the characters in the production itself…can just take a peek at the very end. I was sad when the story ended, and I hope to see these guys again, but I confess that I’m a big fan of whatever this author writes and will enthusiastically join in on whatever adventure she tackles next!

 

 

A copy of this story was provided for review