Bond of a Lycaon Concubine by Talon p.s. and Princess s.o.

"So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf? Think again..."

Raina grew up with the faint memories of her grandmother's fairytales. Tales that told her she was a part of something far greater than her lonely nomadic life gave existence to. But when she finds she's been among the one thing she desired most, can she let go of her more human-raising to submit to it?

Tristan has had a wild hunger for the saucy minx ever since she started working at the Hell hound Tavern. When a close call with a rival pack meant risking exposing the beast he was to Raina, he wasn't expecting her to submit to the beast as his mate. As the Beta to the pack Alpha, Tristan can't keep a mate to himself, but the secret she holds says otherwise.

But keeping a Lycaon Concubine might mean leaving the pack in order to protect his Alpha, who's status has kept a pack of 500 strong and safe for generations.




This was a good book,though some of the parts were a bit slow and the writing style took a bit to get used to with changing characters. However after that this was a good book and it almost felt that it had a bit more story to go over before the end. I wish there had been a bit more to round out the new relationship that blossoms near the end instead of just dropping off. Other than that, good book and good story.

4 Smooches for Bond of a Lycaon Concubine. You can find it here.

Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford

When his Uncle Mortimer died and left him Hoxne Grange, the family’s Gilded Age estate, Tristan Pryce knew he wasn't going to have an easy time of it. He was to be the second generation of Pryces to serve as a caretaker for the estate, a way station for spirits on their final steps to the afterlife. The ghosts were the simple part. He’d been seeing boo-wigglies since he was a child. No, the difficult part was his own family. Determined to establish Tristan’s insanity, his loving relatives hire Dr. Wolf Kincaid and his paranormal researchers, Hellsinger Investigations, to prove the Grange is not haunted.

Skeptic Wolf Kincaid has made it his life’s work to debunk the supernatural. After years of cons and fakes, he can’t wait to reveal the Grange’s ghostly activity is just badly leveled floorboards and a drafty old house. The Grange has more than a few surprises for him, including its prickly, reclusive owner.

Tristan Pryce is much less insane and much more attractive than Wolf wants to admit and when his Hellsinger team unwittingly release a ghostly serial killer on the Grange, Wolf is torn between his skepticism and protecting the man he’d been sent to discredit.

This was an awesome story with the perfect balance of the romance and action. Just the right amount to keep it interesting. Wolf and Tristan are both well written characters and they play off each other really well. Even though Wolf was hired to bring Tristan down, the sparks fly and Tristan has enough fire to keep Wolf on his toes. Over all, I would recommend this great book to everyone.

5 Smooches for Fish and Ghosts. Available as an e-book here or paperback here.

Written in Flesh Anthology

For many people, there's nothing hotter than a man with tattoos. He might get them to commemorate a lost loved one, celebrate an event, or just to look bad-ass, but there's no doubt the man enjoys showing off his ink. Tribal, classic black and white, or elaborate colored artwork spanning the entire back, each mark has a story, an indelible reminder of the past etched onto the human canvas with care and precision. We're showcasing four of those stories in Written in Flesh.

Key is Bound by Ink to a woman he does not—cannot—love. He runs to escape his fate, but finds Dax, another fugitive, and learns that some bonds go deeper than skin. In the heyday of the 1980's, Ian Grothe's club is about to discover the Next Big Thing, but Ian only has eyes for the lead singer. But as the band's star rises, Ian gets left behind, his hopes turning to Powder.

Then, in Helotry, Rontak is an escaped slave who wears the mark of his service beneath his skin. While on the run, he is sheltered by Tréy, an artist with a heavy secret of his own. Finally, Ellis comes to the Sui Generis Protection Agency bearing the Mark of the Familiar, magical animal tattoos granting him remarkable shapeshifting abilities. When he feels a True Bond to William, the Wardsman of the agency, he has to convince William of the truth or risk losing his sanctuary, and perhaps even his life.


All of these were great. Even Powder, which takes place in the 1980's, was a pleasant surprise.I had not expected it to be as good as it was. Ian and Arnold pull at the heartstrings as Arnold gets swept away by his success which makes the ending even better. However there were no favorites for this collection. All of these were awesome.


4½ Smooches for the Written in Flesh Anthology. You can find it here.

Carved in Flesh Anthology

People often say that the true perfection in the human form is in its imperfections. Scars are visceral reminders of a person's past, a sign of an event that can never fade. Whether it was gained in combat, a traumatic experience, or part of a ritual with a lover, scars are the ultimate labels. They leave a permanent mark on the body and spirit that, one way or another, change a person forever.

Veld is an Elf who has known for years that his mute friend Oren is spoken for; the design of scars spanning Oren's torso reminds him with every look. When Oren's vowed, Haram, is killed, Veld must not only help to prove his own innocence, but also tread carefully as he discovers Oren's Right and Haram's last request. Next, Tiocfaidh Ár Lá—"our day will come"—was the cry in Joe Colson's heart, even as he fled his beloved Ireland to hide from his sins in the States. He'd assumed his chances for love were long past when a much younger man rekindles something in him he'd thought long dead.

A near-fatal car accident leaves superstar model Ashley's face permanently scarred and his career into a tailspin. Only his lover, Will, can pull him out of his depression, provided his affection hasn't turned to Faded Love. Young Timothy has come to Larry for Scar Therapy. But Tim is seeking healing of a different kind, and Larry finds that he has his own wounds that need tending. Garvin's scars are a Gift of the Goddess, seared into his skin as a beacon to find his kidnapped love, Nyle. Rescuing him, though, may entail a deeper wound than even the Goddess would bestow. Finally, when Kanovan returns from his off-world tour, his lover Mirin finds a lover's mark he hadn't expected. Mirin must re-evaluate how much Kanovan means to him, and what he must do to make Kanovan always Sojourn Home to him.


A few of these were really romantic despite being so intense. The characters really care about each other even when taking a literal piece out of their lover when others around them might not understand. The favorites for this collection were Scar Therapy, Oren's Right, and Faded Love. These I would have liked to be longer and would have liked to read more about these pairs. There were a couple that I didn't care for all that much but over all, I enjoyed reading the stories put in this anthology.


4 Smooches for the Carved in Flesh Anthology. You can find it here.

Forgotten Menagerie Anthology

A shifter leads two lives: one as a human, and one as an animal. Sometimes these lives are intertwined, and sometimes they are not, but always the shifter has to find a way to reconcile one with the other. Forgotten Menagerie reminds us that not all shifters are werewolves or werecats, despite the preponderance of them in fiction. The stories in this anthology focus on shifters with animal forms other than canine and feline, building their own mythos for these non-traditional species.

In Nuts About You, Nathan's been crushing on one of his regular Bulk Mart customers for a while now. In squirrel form, he sits on Vince's bird feeders, munching on seeds and enjoying the eye candy. Until the day Vince notices him raiding the feeder... Then, in The Greatest of These, Daniel struggles to deal with his new-found sexuality and his Catholic faith. He's already overcome the question of how otter shifters fit into God's plans, but the next step is so much harder. After all, people don't picket about otters burning in Hell. Eber's shifting in Mirrors, the Moon, and the Boy is a curse carried by his family for nearly 500 years, but he's found a sexy side to it that makes him popular at the elite club "Conquistador" in Madrid. His legendary prowess inevitably leads to questions about why he's never there on the full moon. And when he begins to explore a budding connection with young American Miguel, the stakes get even higher if Eber's secret is ever revealed.

Dobson needs his Burdens Lightened, as he has a farm that's too big for one man and has to work construction to keep it paid for. The boss's nephew, Jim, is on the crew this summer—his father's idea to sweat the gay out of him. But Jim wants Dobson, and the feeling is mutual. To the point that Dobson is about to show a part of himself to Jim that no one has ever seen and that only the right person can see. Finally, Carter is eager to sever ties with the ignorant lout who married his sister and thereby owns half of the family ranch, but the only way to do that is to beat his brother-in-law to the cattle auction. That means a trip through Dangerous Territory full of hard terrain, venomous snakes, and flash floods. Fortunately, a deal with the local shifter tribe earns Carter a guide, the stern and humorless Rani, who has his own reasons for coming along.


All of these stories were really great. I really enjoyed most of them and I would read a couple of them again. If I had to pick favorites, it would be Nuts About You and Burdens Lightened. The reactions of Nathan and Dobson when they are found out adds to their stories and makes the endings that much sweeter. Over-all this is a great collection.


4½ Smooches for the Forgotten Menagerie anthology. You can find it here.

Like It Or Not Anthology

Be it forced seduction/dubious consent, non-violent intimidation, or pre-negotiated fantasy, there is something wickedly taboo about non-consensual sex, where consent is muddled. While rape is a crime of power, focusing on exerting physical control over another person, non-con is all about the gray area where verbal consent is either never given (not a 'yes', but not a 'no' either) or doesn't match the arousal and passion both parties share during the act. In Like It or Not, we push the boundaries of consent without fully breaking them.


When Connor's rent money is due and not even hooking can make up the shortfall, he really is Out of Options. So when playboy Jarrett makes him a very generous offer, he doesn't look too closely at the terms—and lives to regret it. Then, werewolf Trevor is subjected to Obedience Classes when his pack alpha becomes fed up with his rebellion. Dirk, the wolf charged with this task, though, seems more interested in claiming Trevor for himself, by any means necessary. Writer Ian Richards has to decide What It's Worth to get his story when his contact meets him in a private club. In fact, Vincenzo has no intention of letting his information go easily, if at all.


In Blindside, freshman Matt is tired of enduring the hazing by (admittedly gorgeous) upperclassman Dylan, when Dylan ups the ante significantly. And as much as Matt wants Dylan, he can't be sure the whole thing isn't one more bizarre prank. Confessor Isak must resort to Unnatural Means when he is charged with the task of forcing Sain to confess his sins of murder and witchcraft before inevitable execution. Torturing in the name of the Divine is difficult enough, but when Sain's seductive magic takes hold of him, he isn't sure it will be Sain who breaks under pressure to find release. Finally, Salting the Earth becomes Ronan's only choice when he suspects his sister has been taken by the fairies. However, this only draws the interest of ruthless King Finnbheara, who extracts a price for his cooperation that may be too high for Ronan to pay.


All of these stories were very good. The interactions between the characters were intense in all of them and even though they are pretty much non-consensual encounters, they still tug at the heart strings a bit with veiled caring. Very balanced. I can't really pick a favorite out of these six because they were all equally great. There were some slow points in Salting the Earth but it catches the reader up pretty quick. Overall, these are great stories.


4 ½ Smooches for Like It Or Not Anthology. You can find it here.

The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church

In the year 2050, humanity finds out they are indeed not alone.

Massive space ships appear without warning above the capital cities of all major nations. The planet Tah'Nar is dying. Chemical warfare has reduced the once-intersexed warrior race to sterility. They need fresh DNA in order to reproduce and have an idea for a harvesting program... and so they turn to Earth.

Earth governments negotiate a lottery, and Dale Michael assumes he's safe since he's under the Harvest age limit. How wrong he is. He's illegally harvested and claimed by Tah'Narian starship captain Keyno Shou. From the moment Keyno sees Dale, he knows he must claim the spirited human male for his own. What he doesn't expect is a spitfire with a mind of his own—and a deadly disease that will require a risky procedure to cure.


This book was amazing. I really liked the entire concept of taken by aliens to help their dying race and the twist of betrayal that happens later in the book was totally unforeseen. Dale and Keyno are a great couple with passion and compatibility even though Dale fights it in the beginning. Excellent book and one that I would want to read again.


5 Smooches for The Harvest: Taken. You can find it here.