What Are AmberPax™ Collections?

Simply put, AmberPax™ Collections are groups of five stories centered around a specific theme. Each story within an AmberPax™ is released individually, on the same day as the others, and can be purchased separately, but these five stories can also be purchased as a single unit (the full AmberPax™) at a discount, currently 25%. Generally, an AmberPax™ is similar to an "anthology" of stories, but instead of the titles being released in only a single volume (file), they are also available individually. These AmberPax™ Collections are sold exclusively through our website and only in electronic format.

THIS BLOG is for news about the Pax Collections - follow it to keep up with releases, find early news of the upcoming collections, and share Pax fun and chat with the authors!

All Amber Paxes can be bought at Amber Quill HERE.

Saturday 25 July 2015

Beware the Beast Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who stopped by this month to share time with us and our beasts! Without further ado, the winner of our giveaway is...

Sula!

I have your address, so expect an email from us soon.

August is another double pax month. We'll be back on August 3 with blurbs and excerpts for our cop-themed pax, which comes out on August 9.  Then on August 17, we'll start introducing our military men to you that become available on August 23. See you then!

Friday 24 July 2015

An Excerpt from To Catch His Mate by J.D. Walker

A mixed breed shifter insurance investigator and a white panther burglar work together to catch a faceless mastermind, out for revenge. When will they find time to become mates?

Blurb:

Felix Cotter is a top-notch insurance investigator, as well as a beast...of some kind. When he shifts, Felix has the body of a black panther and the head and paws of a white Bengal tiger. Whatever the deal is, Felix—weird shifter mix aside—is hot on the trail of a thief.

But the thief smells like mate, and he’s not sure what to think of the wet dreams he’s been having ever since he’s been on this case. Felix sets up a sting to catch the burglar, and comes face to face with the man of his dreams—Tyler Panterone.

A white panther shifter, Tyler survived the murder of his family, only to get caught up in the wrong crowd, and forced to steal against his will. Now it’s up to Felix to help Tyler get out of the bad situation he’s in and whoever is really behind these heists needs to be stopped, if only so that Felix can finally settle down with the man he wants to keep safe and at his side forever.

Excerpt:

After pouring myself another cup of coffee, I took a seat. “So tell me what happened last night after you left. I assume you made it to the drop off point on time?” 

Tyler finished half his omelet before answering. “Yeah, I got there.” He shuddered before continuing. “Those guys make my skin crawl, you know? And I can smell their disgust of me in their pores, along with their general malevolence toward the world. It’s like rotten meat. Everything about them is malignant and ugly.”

“We have to figure out what the real deal is. It’s more than money. There’s a link between Englemann and Forever Safes, but I don’t know what. When we figure that out, we’ll solve this case.”

Tyler nodded and finished his omelet, then slathered a slice of toast with butter and jam. There were crumbs in the corners of his mouth, and some moisture from the butter on his bottom lip. I used my thumb to wipe it away, and his tongue followed it.

“Behave, boy. Now’s not the time.” I couldn’t help myself, though. I brought the thumb to my mouth and licked the finger clean, just so I could get a taste of him.

He huffed. “How’s that fair? You get to taste, but I don’t? That’s mean.” 

His pout was cute, but I wouldn’t be swayed. Yet. “Later. We have to work first.”

“Fine.” After finishing his toast, Tyler got up and put his plate in the sink. Since I was also done, I stood and did the same, making sure to get up close and personal with his ass where he stood.

I ground into him with my firm prick and whispered in his ear. “Help me do a little work first, and then maybe, if you’re good, we can play a little bit.”

He turned to face me and placed his arms around my neck. “What if I want to play now? Won’t it clear our heads a bit if we get a little release? Then we won’t be as distracted.” Tyler nipped my chin and massaged the back of my neck with one hand.

My good intentions disappeared and lust took over. “You might have a point there. But I’m in charge here, boy. Not you. You do what I say. Understood?”

“As long as what you say gets me what I want? Then I’m game.”

*_*_*

To Catch His Mate by J.D. Walker is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post, making sure to include your email so we have a way to contact you. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Thursday 23 July 2015

Another Excerpt from Moonstone by K-lee Klein

Want another taste of Moonstone by K-lee Klein? Well, read on!

*_*_*

It was like a maze of hallways, one leading to the next, with the odd fork in the road here and there. Ky felt like he was being sucked into some weird dimension with a whole lot of portals but no actual people or even signs of life. When the end of the hall was finally in sight, he released an embarrassing sigh of relief.

The last door was painted with the most extraordinary mural Ky had ever seen—two small naked figures with no discerning gender standing beside a flowing river of shimmering waves in bright blues and dark purples. Their arms were extended over their heads, as if they were reaching for the stunningly beautiful sun shining above. Iridescent stars, hearts, and wisps of electric color shot from the points of the sun, the sky a scramble of light purple and turquoise. Ky had never seen anything like it.

But the most stunning part was the dark blue that Ky would have sworn actually beamed with light. It was everywhere in the painting—outlining the sun and bursting from its rays, initiating waves and whirlpools in the water, even shading the landscape in brilliance. The color was mesmerizing, and Ky couldn’t tear himself away from it. He could have stared at it all day, until a painful flash of light and a wave of dizziness swept through him. He slapped a hand on the wall to steady himself, forcing his eyes closed and swallowing a cottony lump in his throat.

“Hey!” Blake’s voice broke through Ky’s reverie. “You okay? Look like you’re gonna pass out or something. Why don’t you come in and sit down? Just drop the box anywhere.”

He followed her voice into the room, his vision blurred and eyes teary, but not before he brushed his fingers over the brilliance of the door’s artwork. It felt warm and gave him a pleasant spark from his fingertips to the top of his shoulder.

“I’m…I’m okay.” He squared his shoulders again, straightening his body to its six-foot form. He struggled to return to reality, squinting as Blake finally reappeared in front of him. “So you, um, you don’t work here?”

Blake turned to look at him, reaching for the box he still clutched to his chest. “Naw. Blue’s a solo act. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, at least in that way. I live close, so I help out all the guys. One of them’s been teaching me yoga so at least I look like I have a purpose around here. You sure you’re okay? You look kinda pale.”

Ky ignored her worries, breathing deeply and swallowing the last of the cotton in his mouth. “I do yoga.”

It was a matter-of-fact statement and totally random, especially since he wasn’t sure TV yoga counted as real yoga. Blake didn’t seem to notice though. She smirked, hoisting the box onto the dark blue counter that appeared to pave the way into the shop. Ky felt like he needed to explain.

“They made us do it in one of my group homes. It’s relaxing.”

“No explanations necessary, man. Just because you’re big and muscly doesn’t mean you can’t have some Zen in your life. We should totally do a session sometime. Oli loves to have new people in his class.” Blake turned away from Ky, and a big voice soared out of her tiny body. “Blue! Get your lazy butt out here. You have an actual customer.”

Ky stepped back at the abrupt change in Blake’s tone and volume. He tripped on the mat by the door, catching himself from completely falling on his ass by grabbing the edge of the counter. He was obviously still a little dizzy but had no idea why.

“Fuck. Sorry,” he said to Blake, as she incredulously looked on at his antics.

“Blake, you aren’t supposed to damage the clients before they pay.”

Ky glanced to the side, and discovered the most incredible sea-blue eyes he’d ever seen. “Um…no, that was my fault.”

Mr. Blue-eyes—Ky assumed his eyes matched his name—flashed a sweet smile, holding a hand out to Ky. “No problem, dude. I’m Blue.”

“Kyle—Ky Adamson. I guess I’m late. Sorry about that.”

Blue grinned crookedly at him with a teasing wink. “We’re not too strict on time around here. Wanna come on through and have a chat?”

Ky could only nod, his heart thumping out a strong bass line in his ears. He wasn’t sure if it was the prospect of the tattoo itself, or the open friendliness of Blue’s handsome face that had him suddenly on edge. Electrified nerves skittered under his skin, trickling down his spine, his palms instantly clammy as Blue tipped his head for Ky to follow him.

There was something about the slighter-framed man that sent a little series of jolts straight to Ky’s gut. It might have simply been the knowledge that he was there so Blue could purposely inflict pain on him—surely not that much though. He hoped. It could also have been the weighty issue occupying three-quarters of his mind. Strangely enough, it was more of a this guy couldn’t possibly be making my dick hard feeling.

Of course, watching Blue bend down to pick up an errant pen, his low-riding jeans sliding down just enough to see the shadows of tattoos sticking up alongside the top of his butt crack, might have revved his engine a little, too.

“Have a seat, Ky.”

The instant familiarity of Blue using his nickname made Ky relax into the big-cushioned couch he’d been directed to. “Thanks,” he muttered when Blue settled beside him, tucking one leg underneath his bottom as he reached for a clipboard on a small table beside the sofa.

Everything in the small room was well used, or in a lot of cases, Ky surmised, just used period. Once he’d finished checking out the decor and necessities, not much more than the couch and table really—and no tattoo machines, needles or bottles of ink. He turned back to Blue, who listed his head to the side.

“You nervous? Not too late to change your—”

“Yeah, I know. Just getting used to my surroundings.” Ky shifted farther back into the worn leather, hoping he gave the appearance of being more relaxed than he actually was. “Interesting place you’ve got here.”

He forced a pathetic grin, looking to Blue for a reaction, which he received in the form of a low chuckle. Heat seeped into Ky’s cheeks, so he quickly continued, “That…that painting on the door is amazing. I don’t know much about art, but it looks pretty cool.”

Blue’s vibrant eyes lowered beneath long, dark lashes and peeked out from beneath a fringe of messy hair. He had shaggy, dark brown, out-of-control curls, but as he pushed his hair back, Ky saw the distinct tracks where his hair had been shaved close to his scalp on one side. He had an interesting look, to say the least. Not to mention the full beard and mustache that Ky was honestly not sure how he felt about. He’d never been one for facial hair, and found himself wondering if it itched.

“I did it on a whim. Turned out okay, I guess. So, yeah, thanks.” Blue drew Ky out of his pondering, gazing determinedly into his eyes again. “You ready to start?”

Ky twisted so he was facing Blue dead-on. There were still faint flutters of anxiety in his belly, but Blake had been right, Blue made him feel more comfortable than he’d expected.

“Let’s do it. Shoot.”

“Cool.” Blue grinned at him as he clicked the end of his pen, then bowed his head again. Ky caught himself wanting to reach out and touch the dark mop of hair that Blue kept trying to sweep away from his eyes. “Just gonna ask you a few questions. Let’s see…are you high?”

Unable to keep his jaw hinged, Ky gaped at Blue, his eyes wide and burning a little with the effort. “Am I…am I what? High?”

“Around here its question number one. Sorry, but I’ve worked on enough stoned people to know it’s not a good idea. If you’re tweaking you don’t tend to feel the pain as much, but at the same time, you’re more likely to not have put much thought into the art you want on your body. No offense, man.”

Shifting a little in his chair, Ky furrowed his brow. “Not high or drunk. Not offended either.” He definitely couldn’t take offense since he’d asked Blake if Blue tattooed while he was high before even meeting him.

“All right. Ever been inked before?”

“No.”

“How are you with pain?”

“High tolerance.”

Blue lifted his head, his icy blue orbs skating over Ky’s face. “That shiner looks like it could have caused a little discomfort. Bruise on your cheek looks fresh, too.”

He paused, as Ky concentrated on his lap, then looked back up, a slow heat starting from his ears and running into his cheeks again. He’d forgotten about the current state of his face, and suddenly everything felt awkward.

“Not on the run from some mob guys or the law, are ya?”

The sweet smile that accompanied Blue’s teasing put Ky at a little more ease. He forced a half-grin. “Nope. Just a hobby.”

“Dangerous hobby,” Blue said with a low whistle.

Ky immediately wanted to disappear into the concrete floor. Since when did a pair of pretty blue eyes and a sexy voice make him want to do anything but dismiss whoever was behind them? He didn’t blush for anyone or anything—usually. And he definitely didn’t need the distraction to his real purpose for being there.

*_*_*

Moonstone by K-lee Klein is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post, making sure to include your email so we have a way to contact you. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Cats Can be Protective, Too by Vivien Dean

One of my earliest memories is from when I was four. We had a Siamese cat named Taki--short for Takamoi--who acted like he was a dog. He guarded me and my siblings from strangers, waited at the door for us whenever we left the apartment, and raced to get into the car for a ride whenever we went out. He was a huge cat, too. I don't mean fat. I mean tall and sturdy and big enough to scare people who didn't know him. 

But what I remember most about Taki was his protectiveness. He was the sweetest, gentlest cat when we were alone, but as soon as someone walked up who he didn't like, he went on alert. He parked himself in front of us, and that was it. Nobody was getting close.

So when the Beware the Beast SuperPax came around, I knew I wanted to write about a cat shapeshifter who just wanted to protect people. And what better model for me to use than Taki? But as unpredictable as housecats can be, I wanted something a little more dangerous. Lion? Nah, I wanted to set it in the US. What about cougar, then? Maybe, they're certainly beautiful creatures.

Then I realized my story was about magic. And magic users. And what would a magic user be without a black cat sidekick?

Thus, Rowan Bouchard, the black panther familiar, was born.

Savage Estate is a story about discovery. Everybody has something to learn. Alec, who discovers he's got magic, family, and a heritage he knew nothing about. Rowan, who discovers a world beyond the estate he grew up on, the true depths of his nature, and how duty isn't always as simple as it seems. Together, they navigate what it means to be partners, friends, and then more, before the world they're forced to inhabit takes it all away from them.

I think Taki would be proud of what he inspired.

For his twenty-fifth birthday, Alec Savage gets the gift of a lifetime—the chance to meet his father for the very first time. What he finds upon his arrival in Washington, DC, however, is a smashed window, an empty house, and a scrawled note with only his name and a phone number on it. Panicked, he dials the number and talks to an uncle he never knew he had, one who insists Alec is in danger if he stays in the house. That’s when everything starts to get really weird.

Within minutes, he’s teleported all the way to nowhere Montana, in the company of the most gorgeous guy he’s ever seen, hearing about how he’s the latest mage in the Savage line. Alec doesn’t want to believe Rowan Bouchard, but it’s hard to argue with the reality of his new snowbound location or the confirmation from the uncle who greets him. He even thinks staying on the estate while they hunt for his father won’t be so bad if he has Rowan as eye candy.

Except Rowan is more than that. He’s a shifter, the most beautiful black panther Alec could imagine. And according to his Uncle Martin, he’s now Alec’s familiar, too...

*_*_*

Savage Estate by Vivien Dean is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post, making sure to include your email so we have a way to contact you. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Malcolm at Midnight and the Mystery of Zzyzx Road by A.J. Llewellyn

When I signed up for the “Beware the Beast” SUPER PAX™ Anthology I knew right away I wanted to write about two insecure, frightened men, both of whom are afraid of their inner werewolves.

I also wanted to use Zzyzx Road, a strange place in the middle of the Mojave Desert between Los Angeles on the -15 Freeway – and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Many years ago, I was a boxing writer and I drove past that street sign every weekend. I always wondered what was on the other side of it. What mystery would I find off the spooky Zzyzx Road?

Zzyzx (pronounced Zie-zicks) has apparently intrigued other drivers too because one enterprising filmmaker, Jon Penney, immortalized it in a horror movie (but changed the name to Zyzzyx),which has the distinction of being the lowest-earning movie of all time. It made $30.

Well, I never saw it but I still felt compelled to include it in a pivotal sequence in my story. I had an experience on Zzyzx Road coming back from Vegas one weekend when my tire blew out. I called AAA, and it took forever for help to come. Unfortunately my dog, Venus, was with me and I was stunned to see gigantic condors circling my car. Who did they think was near death? Me or my dog?

I was relieved when the AAA guy arrived. He changed my tire, informed me it was a donut and that it would never get me back to L.A. That was not good news. He escorted me off the shoulder of the freeway and onto Zzyzx Road. What a revelation. I’d never been anyplace like it. Dogs chained in backyards, guys cooking drugs in trailers that emitted a strong, but unidentifiable scent of cleaning products, and a general air of menace. They also sold suspicious looking tires for exorbitant amounts… I politely said “no thanks” to shelling three hundred bucks for a tire that frankly looked bald.

“This is the high desert,” one of them said. “We can charge what we like.” I agreed. Didn’t mean I was gonna pay them for it.

I declined the tire and took my time driving back to L.A. I did find one in Barstow for a hundred. Still high, but not bad. And meanwhile, an idea was born. And here it is. I hope you read and enjoy Malcolm at Midnight. I loved every moment of writing it. 

Malcolm at Midnight: Purchase Link and info: http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2224-Malcolm-At-Midnight.aspx
Malcolm Harding yearns for freedom, for the ability to make his own choices and even his own mistakes. Instead, he’s forced to give up college to care for his mother in her secluded home in the windswept California town of Cambria. Miriam’s mind is slipping into the abyss of Alzheimer’s and she’s becoming increasingly unpredictable and violent. Unfortunately, uder the terms of his father’s will, Malcolm cannot institutionalize her or place her into assisted living.

Yet something else keeps him with Miriam—he is desperate to learn the fate of the three beloved horses he left in her care during his one and only college year. But Miriam can’t, or won’t, tell him what she did with them. She calls Malcolm a beast and seems intent on crushing his spirit, if not his mind and body as well.

Gilby McCall is a personal chef with the unusual job of preparing meals for an orthodox Jewish couple. But soon the work becomes intense and alarming when they pile extra duties on him. When he is suddenly fired, Gilby accepts an invitation to take part in a cooking contest in Las Vegas. Before he leaves, however, Fate brings him to Cambria, where he meets the handsome, mysterious Malcolm Harding.

Although both men clearly have secrets and personal problems to overcome, they are strangely drawn to one another. Yet before they can explore the possibility of a romantic relationship, sinister forces intervene, revealing the beasts hidden deep within themselves...

Genres: Gay / Dark Fantasy / Shapeshifter / Werewolf / Mystery / Detective 
Heat Level: 2 
Length: Novel (41k words / TBD paperback pages)


*_*_*

Malcolm at Midnight by A.J. Llewellyn is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post, making sure to include your email so we have a way to contact you. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Monday 20 July 2015

The Beast of Campus Colorado by D.J. Manly

Beware the Beast is the name of our newest collaboration of stories and everyone has their own take on it. The question begs…what is a beast? If we don’t know, we can always google it and go with a very traditional definition.  The following serves as the definition(s) of a beast: 
  • Any nonhuman animal, especially a large, four-footed mammal. 
  • The crude animal nature common to humans and the lower animals 
  • A beast is a cruel, coarse, filthy, or beastlike person. 
  • A live creature, as distinguished from a plant, so maybe a farm animal.
  • Or the Antichrist as mentioned in Rev.13:18

The label of beast however has often strayed from the traditional. We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast, and most recently the television series. The ‘beast’ indeed has his wild side but is he really to be feared? And from what I’ve seen, after shedding the beastlike coverings, he is in fact very lovable. Beast is sometimes a label used to describe someone who’s very passionate in the bedroom, and in this case, it’s used positively and even embraced by those involved. It’s a playful adjective and indeed nothing to be feared.

The definition of ‘beast’ throughout the ages has experienced some transition, along with that of the vampire. Although you might say that there has always been something sexy about Dracula, and that his love for his long lost Mina, made us sympathetic, in the end, Dracula had to be destroyed because he was a killer, beastly in the true sense of the word. No one would applaud today if someone staked “Edward” at the end of the Twilight series though.

In Campus Colorado, I brought together a few characters who, on the surface, may be thought of as beasts, and I turned them inside out, giving the “beasts” humanity, which is just what has happened to the vampire, werewolf and other like creatures over the last few decades in literature and on screen. Who can forget Teen Wolf, or Buffy, or The Kindred? The vampire cop in Moonlight may have drank blood but he was nice enough, and the werewolf cowboy most recently on Penny Dreadful is rather cute for a killer. On the one hand he can be labelled beast, but yet, in the core, he is no more or less beastly than those who walk by us on the street each day or run the countries of the world.  Those ‘beasts’ have impulses they must control, and when they lose control, things happen. Not always good things. But can we not say the same of human beings? Manslaughter and crimes of passion earn humans jail time. Are they not ‘beasts’ when they lose control and kill someone? 

As human beings we live within a collective where we are subjected to rules and regulations, some written, others expected. Humans break the rules every day. Sometimes they are punished for these infractions by authorities. Other times, their punishment is more personal. We alienate those we love, we lose friends and opportunities to prosper. 

Sometimes “beasts” live with a different set of rules. In Campus Colorado, our main character, Troy survives by sucking the breath from others (an Incubus, whose father labeled Succubus, when he discovered his son was gay). Although he takes what he needs, he doesn’t kill anyone.  When Troy is asked to capture a death demon on a Campus in Colorado, he calls on those he trusts, a werewolf and a vampire. On the same campus is a hunter of supernatural beasts, also called to catch the demon. Two enemies unite to catch something deemed even more heinous. The question remains in this story, and in life, who are the real beasts?

Was Hitler a beast? Many would say, yes. He was a mass murderer. What about the mysterious Jack the Ripper, or the Son of Sam? What about political leaders who kill and condemn those of a different faith, or prevent girls from going to school, or refuse to accept same sex love? What do we call these people? Do they earn the label of beast? I know what my answer is. What’s yours?

So enjoy Campus Colorado where you’re never sure what beast you should beware of. And remember why writers create the ‘beast’ as you read it. The ‘beast’ is no more or no less a reflection of us.    

*_*_*

Campus Colorado by D.J. Manly is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post, making sure to include your email so we have a way to contact you. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Sunday 19 July 2015

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Beware the Beast

Genres: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

The titles listed below comprise the Beware the Beast AmberPax™ Collection. Buy all five together and receive a 35% discount! To purchase any of the titles individually, click on the covers below to go to the books' separate pages. 

Campus Colorado
Campus Colorado
by D.J. Manly
Novel
(Gay)
Malcolm at Midnight
Malcolm at Midnight
by A.J. Llewellyn
Novel
(Gay)
Savage Estate
Savage Estate
by Vivien Dean
Extended Novel
(Gay)
Moonstone
Moonstone
by K-lee Klein
Extended Novel
(Gay)
To Catch His Mate
To Catch His Mate
by J.D. Walker
Novel
(Gay)

 
In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (7/19-7/24) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

Friday 17 July 2015

To Catch His Mate by J.D. Walker

Felix Cotter is a top-notch insurance investigator, as well as a beast...of some kind. He has no idea who his real parents are, but when he shifts, Felix has the body of a black panther and the head and paws of a white Bengal tiger. Regardless, Felix now finds himself hot on the trail of a thief. The problem is, this thief smells like mate. Felix has never met another creature like him, so he’s not sure what to think of the sensual dreams he’s experienced since starting this case.

When Felix sets up a sting to catch the burglar, he finally comes face-to-face with the man of his erotic dreams—Tyler Panterone—and the feeling of belonging grows even stronger.

A white panther shifter, Tyler has been running scared since the murder of his family, and has since become involved with the wrong crowd, forced to steal against his will. Now, it’s up to Felix to help Tyler out of the bad situation while not implicating him in any way.

Whoever is really behind these heists needs to be stopped, if only so Felix can finally settle down with the man he wants to keep safe and at his side forever.

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/Shapeshifter/Mystery/Detective/BDSM (Light)
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novel (41k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...“If you help me catch these guys and find out what’s really going on, I’ll do my best to make sure you’re not incriminated. They’re using you for their own gain, but they’re playing a bigger game, and I need your help to find out what that is. You want your freedom back, don’t you?”

“Hell, yeah, I do. It’s a no brainer.” He swallowed and then stepped closer to me. “It’s strange but, even though I just met you—under interesting circumstances, I’ll admit—I trust you. I don’t know why, but I do. Maybe it’s because you’re like me, half man, half beast. But God, your smell, I don’t know, the scent is like safety to me.” Tyler shook his head and looked away, embarrassed. “That sounds insane, doesn’t it?”

I moved closer to him so I could feel the heat from his body. The scent of his arousal increased sevenfold, and my cock, half-hard for the past few minutes, was now full-blown again. “Not as crazy as what you smell like to me. Something about you—illegal activities notwithstanding—makes me want to claim your body, your very life as my own. I want to protect you, and I don’t understand why.”

I reached up to stroke his hair. It was as soft as I’d thought it would be, and thick, too, begging my fingers to clutch the strands. “I’ve been tracking your scent through all these robberies. I’ve been having wet dreams because of you, and no one else I have sex with eases the need. I want to fuck you raw, Tyler Panterone, but that would be unprofessional of me, wouldn’t it? Consorting with the enemy?” I tightened my fingers in his hair and held him still. Tyler’s eyes shifted, and I felt mine do the same. Christ.

“Shit, I want you to do it, and I don’t care how crazy that sounds.” He licked his lips, and I answered his plea, tilting his head and finally giving him what he wanted. What we both needed. Goddamn, but his flavor was intoxicating.

“Open your mouth, boy,” I ordered, and he quickly complied. Fuck, but his willing submission made me harder than ever. I sucked on his tongue and reached my other hand around to clutch his ass tight, bringing our hard cocks together to grind in the best way possible.

His tongue dueled with mine, and that clever mouth of his made me want to take him right there on the balcony. The timing wasn’t right, though, and I had to stay focused. I slowed the tempo, soothing him—and me—with slower kisses and gentle strokes down his supple spine.

Tyler whimpered, pushing in closer, begging me not to stop as he chased my mouth when I pulled away at last.

“Not now, boy. You have to get to Douglasville, remember?” I placed tiny kisses along his cheek all the way up to his forehead and lingered there, savoring the salt of his sweat, and inhaling his very essence. We were both hard as steel, but it would have to wait.

Tyler’s breathing calmed and he let his head drop to my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around him in a close embrace. He was mine, mine to protect, and I vowed to keep him safe.

I stepped back and gestured to the balcony. “Get going.” His hand lingered on my chest before he climbed over the edge and stopped there for a minute, staring at me, the night sky and city lights behind him, and his eyes glittering.

“Want me to come over in the morning so we can talk some more? I want to help, and I’d like to hear more about you, and, uh, explore more of what this…whatever you call it…is between us. It’s nice to meet someone out there that’s like me. It’s been difficult and lonely on my own.”

My heart went out to him because I knew what he felt. I’d had the same issues, but managed to subdue them somehow, until now. “I’ll be waiting. Use the elevator next time, okay?”

I smiled at him, and he gave me a toothy grin. “Only because you ask so nicely.” And with that, he was gone...

Thursday 16 July 2015

Moonstone by K-lee Klein

(Book 1 of the Stone Magic series)

Ky’s fought his way to the boxing championship for the third time, but now the fight of his life isn’t against an opponent in the ring. He’s battling a darkness within himself that he can’t ignore and can’t control. If he fails, everything he’s spent his life working for will be gone, and he can’t see a path to victory. Only a a hunch sends him looking for help in the most unusual places.

Blue’s a quiet guy, living for his family and the art of his tattoos. He’s created his shop, Blue’s Dungeon, to be a place for the celebration of art on skin—simple, friendly, and mostly uncomplicated—and Blue likes it that way.

But when Ky shows up in Blue’s tattoo parlor, desperately searching for a lifeline, it’s the beginning of something magical for both men...

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/Shapeshifter/Witchcraft/Magic/Sports/Athletes/Series
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Novel (72k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...Blue was pretty happy with his work. For being nothing more than a series of moon phases on the inside of Ky’s arm, it had turned out pretty awesome. It struck a chord in his memory, too. Maybe he’d seen it in a book or Ky had taken it from somewhere Blue had been. It didn’t matter, just as long as it had turned out the way his client wanted it. He’d stopped trying to match people with the tattoos they wanted. It was all personal preference, and if anyone should understand that concept, it was him.

Still it was a strange choice for someone who obviously took the term “tough guy” to heart, and had molded his body to fit the image. He wasn’t huge, like some of the muscly boys Blue had met or been attracted to. More toned and sculpted, hard lines visible through his T-shirt and the tight fit of his sweatpants. And despite the bruises, and the scar down the side of Ky’s face, he was fucking hot.

Ky had insisted the tattoo be outlined in dark blue instead of black, something not so common in Blue’s experience. Most people wanted the inside colored and the outside standard black, or the whole thing completely black, as was most often the case. But Ky had wanted the opposite; the four moons shaded and swirled with black and blue, but the silhouette the exact shade of blue of the skull on the wall.

He examined his work a little more closely, lightly holding Ky’s wrist, while he wiped away the excess ink and trails of blood. He was hyper-aware of Ky’s breath warming his shoulder and the side of his neck. It stirred something inside him, something he wasn’t altogether comfortable with. Something akin to desire, but more.

When he started to pull back, loosening his grip on Ky’s arm, calloused fingers wrapped around his hand. He looked up into bleary green orbs, their hold both mystifying and uncomfortable. Blue supposed he might have lost his mind when he leaned over and let Ky press a kiss to his lips. Later, the whole thing was hazy at best, except for the sweet taste.

The kiss was tentative at first—muted, wary, little unsure touches—but it escalated quickly to desperate and sloppy when Ky tucked his arm closer to his body, moving it from the armrest and extending his neck. He reached for Blue, awkwardly securing him with one hand around the back of his head. They slotted their mouths together harder, in an uncoordinated clash of lips, with no direction or consideration for just what the hell they were doing.

Blue eased back as soon as his mind unscrambled, his common sense overriding the lust playing havoc under his itching skin. “Wow,” he groaned, swiping the back of his hand over his mouth. “That should not have happened.”

Ky turned a lovely shade of pink as he jumped from the chair, stumbling over his own feet in his haste to move. “I’m sorry. Did I…fuck, I thought you were sending off some hard signals. I never meant to—Jesus, I’m an idiot.”

“No you’re not.” Blue stepped closer again. He stroked a hand down Ky’s back, careful to make the connection purely platonic even though his lips still burned from the kiss. “Let me wash up, then get you bandaged, yeah?”

Ky’s face retained some of the blush, but at least the palpable tension appeared to fall away as Blue smiled and motioned to the couch in the corner. Ky settled into the cushions, but stayed precariously on the edge, his fingers white-knuckling his thighs. Blue struggled with not kissing him again when he returned.

Ky’s face shone with embarrassment, his eyes clouded with what Blue hoped wasn’t disgust...

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Savage Estate by Vivien Dean

For his twenty-fifth birthday, Alec Savage gets the gift of a lifetime—the chance to meet his father for the very first time. What he finds upon his arrival in Washington, DC, however, is a smashed window, an empty house, and a scrawled note with only his name and a phone number on it. Panicked, he dials the number and talks to an uncle he never knew he had, one who insists Alec is in danger if he stays in the house. That’s when everything starts to get really weird.

Within minutes, he’s teleported all the way to nowhere Montana, in the company of the most gorgeous guy he’s ever seen, hearing about how he’s the latest mage in the Savage line. Alec doesn’t want to believe Rowan Bouchard, but it’s hard to argue with the reality of his new snowbound location or the confirmation from the uncle who greets him. He even thinks staying on the estate while they hunt for his father won’t be so bad if he has Rowan as eye candy.

Except Rowan is more than that. He’s a shifter, the most beautiful black panther Alec could imagine. And according to his Uncle Martin, he’s now Alec’s familiar, too...

Genres: Gay/Fantasy/Shapeshifter/Witchcraft/Magic/Exhibitionism/Public Places
Heat Level: 2
Length: Extended Novel (97k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...At the car, Rowan surprised him again. “Give me the keys.”

Alec jerked back. “What? I’m not letting you drive.”

“You don’t have a choice. You don’t know how to get to where we’re going.”

“Martin said to go to the airport.”

“That was before he went out of his way to send me.”

Rowan crowded him against the passenger door. Though the position trapped Alec as much as he’d been inside, the way Rowan stood, with only his hard thighs locking in Alec, would make them look like lovers to anyone who might be peeping out their curtains. It certainly felt intimate, stunning Alec into silence as he waited for whatever new threats were to come. No man he’d ever been with had short-circuited his senses so thoroughly, not Zander or even the economics professor who’d seduced him after his last final. Rowan was pure masculinity, filling every nook and cranny of Alec’s awareness until he displaced all else.

When Rowan shoved his long fingers into Alec’s front pocket, Alec gasped. His thudding heart lurched upward into his throat as the knuckles dragged along his hip in their downward search. Rowan’s rooting around stretched the denim over Alec’s cock, which prompted his wayward prick to start swelling to make up for the extra room.

Christ, this was the last thing he wanted, but how was he supposed to ignore the heat pouring off Rowan’s body into his own? Especially since Rowan seemed to be taking his damn sweet time finding the key ring.

He had to grit his teeth to keep from moaning like a bitch in heat when Rowan finally dragged the keys free. When the scrape of the metal across Alec’s raw nerve endings disappeared, he balled his hand into a fist behind his back to keep from grabbing Rowan’s wrist and shoving his hand back into the pocket.

Rowan stepped away, his features unreadable. “Get in the car.”

With his face burning, Alec scooted free, fumbling at his back for the handle. Embarrassment didn’t even begin to cover how he felt. Especially when his hard-on refused to vanish as he watched Rowan jog around the front of the car. The man knew how to move, whether it was defensively or from here to there, like liquid metal, all grace and sensually sleek.

“Buckle up,” Rowan said as he slid behind the wheel.

Alec obeyed, mostly because the seat belt would hide his erection. “When do I start getting answers instead of getting bossed around?”

“After one more thing.”

Rowan pulled a slim flip phone from a pocket and punched in a number before turning the key in the ignition. “We’re ready.” He set the phone on the dash without disconnecting.

Alec looked back and forth between them. This was getting weirder and weirder by the second, but he was sure anything he asked would get ignored.

An electrical sizzle emanated from the phone. A moment later, the back exploded, just like Alec’s had inside the house.

“Holy shit.” Alec gaped at the ruined remains, stifling the urge to catch it when Rowan started edging the car forward and it slid off the dash. Melted metal smeared across the gray felt mat at his feet before it came to rest against a McDonald’s bag he’d been using for trash. “It’s a good thing you don’t have an expensive…”

The rest of his commentary on Rowan’s cheap technology trailed off when he straightened. Because instead of driving down a sunlit street in suburban Washington, DC, they were pulling onto a narrow driveway under an archway of thick trees that almost completely blocked out the sky even though their branches were still bare.

Alec whipped around in time to see his dad’s house wink out of sight behind them. “Holy shit,” he repeated, this time staring at Rowan. “What just happened?”

“I just followed through on my promise to get you out of there safely.” For the first time, Rowan glanced at him and smiled. “You’re welcome...”

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Malcolm at Midnight by A.J. Llewellyn

Malcolm Harding yearns for freedom, for the ability to make his own choices and even his own mistakes. Instead, he’s forced to give up college to care for his mother in her secluded home in the windswept California town of Cambria. Miriam’s mind is slipping into the abyss of Alzheimer’s and she’s becoming increasingly unpredictable and violent. Unfortunately, uder the terms of his father’s will, Malcolm cannot institutionalize her or place her into assisted living.

Yet something else keeps him with Miriam—he is desperate to learn the fate of the three beloved horses he left in her care during his one and only college year. But Miriam can’t, or won’t, tell him what she did with them. She calls Malcolm a beast and seems intent on crushing his spirit, if not his mind and body as well.

Gilby McCall is a personal chef with the unusual job of preparing meals for an orthodox Jewish couple. But soon the work becomes intense and alarming when they pile extra duties on him. When he is suddenly fired, Gilby accepts an invitation to take part in a cooking contest in Las Vegas. Before he leaves, however, Fate brings him to Cambria, where he meets the handsome, mysterious Malcolm Harding.

Although both men clearly have secrets and personal problems to overcome, they are strangely drawn to one another. Yet before they can explore the possibility of a romantic relationship, sinister forces intervene, revealing the beasts hidden deep within themselves...

Genres: Gay/Dark Fantasy/Shapeshifter/Werewolf/Mystery/Detective
Heat Level: 2
Length: Novel (41k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...“You’re kidnapping me.”

Malcolm Harding gripped the wheel of his trusty Prius. God. It was going to be one of those days.

“No, Mom. I’m not. I’m taking you to the hairdresser’s.”

“No you’re not. You’re kidnapping me!” Miriam Harding reached across the small space between them and grabbed the steering wheel.

“Mom, please!” He tried to steady the vehicle and narrowly missed hitting a car coming from the opposite direction on icy Moonstone Beach Road. The other driver honked him.

Malcolm panicked. The early winter mornings were dangerous for drivers in the Northern California seaside town of Cambria. He took his foot off the brake so he wouldn’t go into a full-scale skid. His mother kept slapping at his arms and face. Not for the first time in his life, Malcolm was afraid of her. She’d accused him of many things, but this time she was out of control.

She jabbed fingers at the dashboard and the radio suddenly blared. Of all the stations and songs to come on, it just had to be Kost’s nonstop Christmas music that started each year on November 15.

“Oh the weather outside is frightful,” Bing Crosby warbled.

Malcolm turned off the radio. It wasn’t exactly cozy and warm inside the car, either.

Miriam punched at the horn, a frenzied look on her face. He managed to loosen her grip, but somehow she got hold of the wheel again. The Prius swerved and skidded. Malcolm’s mouth fell open in a frozen scream of horror as he almost careened into a senior citizen’s day care van. The other driver honked him as he veered sharply, almost going over the soft shoulder of the narrow road and heading right into the ocean.

The next thing Malcolm knew, his mom slugged him. The first blow hit him across the nose, stinging his eyes and making them run. Blood sprayed across the dashboard. She hit him again, splitting his lip. She was no helpless old lady. The force with which she attacked him shocked him as much as it hurt.

“Mom!” he shouted, terrified at the taste of blood seeping down his throat.

Miriam lashed out at him a third time, but he held up his arm, taking the full brunt of her rage on his elbow.

Within seconds, sirens sounded. In the rearview mirror he caught a glimpse of a county sheriff’s vehicle following him. He pulled over, just as the officer demanded over his loudspeaker.

It wasn’t easy with his mother continuing to slap and punch him.

The officer parked behind him and ran to the vehicle.

“My God!” he shouted. “Are you all right?”

Malcolm couldn’t see properly, but somehow managed to lower the window. Blood poured from a cut above his eye, down his face and into his mouth. “Help me,” he implored...

Monday 13 July 2015

Campus Colorado by D.J. Manly

While posing as a student, Troy, a succubus, teams up with both a vampire and a werewolf to fight a death demon on a university campus for the children of rich celebrities.

Jack, a hunter of supernatural creatures, is also on campus posing as one of the teachers. He, too, is hunting the demon, but Jack also has no qualms about taking out vampires, werewolves and succubi at the same time.

To Jack, these supernatural creatures are all the same to him...except, maybe, when it comes to the sexy Troy...

Genres: Gay/Dark Fantasy/Shapeshifter/Werewolf/Vampire/Paranormal/BDSM/Group Sex
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novel (40k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...“I can’t believe you, Francis.” Troy shook his head disparagingly. “We haven’t been here more than twenty-four hours and you’ve already taken a bite out of someone?”

Francis threw himself on the twin bed across from Troy and contemplated his nails for a second. “I was swept away,” he murmured. Then he glanced up and grinned. “It’s truly beyond my control sometimes.”

“Well,” Troy cautioned, “you had better get it under control. You know there’s a hunter here somewhere on campus, not to mention the demon we’re trying to flush out. We don’t want to give either of those characters the advantage of knowing we’re here.”

“It’s all so boring.” Francis feigned a yawn. “I could be in the south of France right now with some beautiful, brain-dead, human hunk or bimbo, sipping champagne—among other nourishing substances—instead of trying to impersonate a school boy.”

Troy rolled his eyes. When Francis was in this kind of mood, there wasn’t much to be done. Troy glanced around the room and took the opportunity to change the subject. “You know, it’s not so bad for a college dorm.”

The room was spacey and equipped with its own bathroom and small kitchen. It would be considered luxurious by most standards, but then it was mostly the children of rich celebrities who came here to study.

Francis’ response was a look that implied he strongly disagreed with Troy’s assessment of the room.

“The rooms are much smaller and shabbier at other campuses,” Troy pointed out.

“I suppose you’re right. But then, this is celebrity school for the children of rock stars and movie queens, or God forbid, for those who fancy themselves to be rock stars and movie queens. What do they need a degree for anyway?”

“Maybe they plan to do other things with their lives later on.”

“You mean when their boobs drop or they’re so used up from drugs, they can’t read the lines they’re supposed to memorize?”

“Something like that.” Troy shook his head and laughed.

The college lay in the foothills of Colorado. Its isolation kept the campus from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, serving as a haven for rich celebrities and their offspring. Francis and Troy had had to lie through their teeth to be accepted here. Francis had used some of his powers of persuasion to glamour the registrar. The hypnotizing powers of vampires sure came in handy at times.

Surrounded by majestic mountains, it would have been easy to get lost in the beauty, but they needed to concentrate on the task at hand. They had a mission and they had no choice but to succeed...