It’s wrap-up time! I was in a bit of a reading slump at the beginning of the month. There are a lot of things going on in my private life, and this month has been a bit overwhelming, so I was unable to focus.

I did reread The Disassembled Life of Duncan Cole, which is a long read, but other than that, I’ve only read a few short ones toward the end of the month. I don’t mean only in the way that short stories don’t matter as much as longer stories, because they do, but the duration I need to stay focused to consume them isn’t as long.

The Disassembled Life of Duncan Cole by S. Hart

Let’s start with Duncan. You can read me rambling on about it over at Holly’s, but here I’ll just say that I love Duncan! This is a steampunk story, and it’s awesome with all its brass and copper.

In which we meet Duncan: professional nobody who presents himself to the public as a scowling, smoking pile of contempt. Against his will, he meets Sam: a less than professional coal miner who inspires the worst in men. Together they take on one malicious train and a most insidious re-animator, and along the way Duncan remembers a few things that he’d previously forgotten.

https://books2read.com/DuncanCole

Manikin by Jordan Castillo Price

This is the third story in the Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion series. I reread the first two some time ago and when I couldn’t find anything I wanted to read, I read this again. Wild Bill!!!

Marushka loves pretty things: lace and velvet, porcelain and pearls. She sews elaborate costumes for all of her dolls, and she spends hours arranging their hair just so. Her collection is growing; she’s added a very pretty trinket, and his name is Michael. She can’t wait to dress him up.

Michael always suspected mentally ill vampires grew worse and worse as the years went by. He’d never realized how unhinged they could get.

Now Michael is in way over his head. Will Wild Bill save him? Or was it only wishful thinking on Michael’s part that their connection ran deeper than sex… or blood?

https://books2read.com/Manikin

The Tinker’s Apprentice by Jordan Castillo Price

While we’re on the Jordan Castillo Price train, this is part of the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend giveaway, so I picked it up. It’s cute! It reminded me a little of Quill Me Now! It’s not the same, but something about the vibe reminded me of it.

Magical bonds can move mountains…or at least keep the magichanical appliances running.

Conrad has a special talent—one for overthinking even the simplest of decisions. As a tinker’s apprentice, he should have mastered at least some magichanics by now. Unfortunately, he hasn’t even picked out his starting tool. A glimpse of an intriguing young man at the auxiliar shop makes him wonder if maybe a magical mascot can help him level up—but how would he ever pick the right one? Can Conrad settle on a magical assistant, or should he just grab a random tool and hope for the best? Either way…it’s now or never.

Grab it here!

Pursued By A Bear by Allison Temple

I thought this was from the YBBB giveaway too, but it appears I was wrong. I have no idea when or where I grabbed this, but if I read more than the first sentence of the blurb (That’s usually how far I get. One sentence. Blurbs bore me to no end LOL) I’d forgotten it now. I thought I started reading a paranormal romance with a bear shifter finding his mate. This is a contemporary tale about a guy who is rescued by his ex when an actual bear stalks him. It was okay, but not what I thought I would be reading and was in the mood for. I take full blame for that 😆

I can’t find any links for this, so… I must have grabbed it in a giveaway or something. 

One night. One truck. Two very different bears. Xavier only wants one of them to eat him.
The last place Xavier wants to be is at funeral in his remote northern hometown. That is, until a literal bear chases him into Lane’s truck. Lane broke Xavier’s teenage heart fourteen years ago, so trapped in a truck on the side of the road, is well and truly the last place Xavier wants to be.
Being pursued by a bear shouldn’t be a recipe for romance, but as they wait for help, Xavier and Lane get a chance to air old hurts and find the pieces of themselves that still fit so well together. If they can escape the bear, a second chance at love may be waiting for them with the sunrise.

 

Twice Bitten Eliot Grayson

Since I was in the mood for paranormal, I then hopped on to Twice Bitten. This is my first Eliot Grayson story, and I liked it a lot! I have… ah… there is knotting here, and that’s NOT my thing. I have read very few knotting books, and when lines like ‘You’re going to take it,” he said matter-of-factly. “And my knot.” come up, I cringe and try to read through my closed eyes LOL. I really liked Angelo though. It made me want to write a prim and proper vamp 😁 Oh, and it’s also from the YBBB giveaway.

A werewolf walks into a vampire bar… ouch.

Vampire enforcer Angelo has enough problems already, and a tall, dark, and irritating alpha werewolf is the last thing he needs.

With his cheating, murderous mate on the run, Jack’s looking for help from the local authorities—who assign Angelo to solve the problem quickly.

They don’t have anything in common on paper, but sharing magical compatibility, a sense of humor, and a common goal can build a bond—whether mundane or otherwise. Even when another bond’s impossible…

Warning: Contains magical attack scorpions, knotting, and a vampire who’s desperate to avoid ruining his suit, falling in love, or other catastrophes. Spoiler alert: He falls in love. Does he ruin his suit, though? Read and find out! Happy ending guaranteed.

Grab it here!

I have this feeling of having forgotten some book, but I can’t remember having read any more this month…

 

I couldn’t for the life of me come up with something to write for this month’s #WhatToReadWednesday post, so I scrolled through previous posts. I have blue covers, I have white covers, and I have green covers, so why not do some red covers??

Here are a few books I think you should read if you haven’t already that have red or reddish covers… maybe some will be a little orangeish 😊

The Duality Paradigm by Lia Cooper

Magic users and shifters! I remember liking this a lot. Maybe I should reread it. It was a long time ago I first read it. If I remember correctly, it’s free.

Everyone knows magic users and werewolves are intrinsically diametrically opposed…

Seattle Police Detective Ethan Ellison, born into a long line of Quebecois magicians, leads a fairly unassuming life working Theft and consulting on magical misdemeanors. He’s spent eight years building a life for himself in Seattle, far from his father’s shadow. He works hard, lives under the radar, and fucks whoever catches his eye.
Detective Patrick Clanahan, beta-heir to Pack McClanahan, is a tightly wired bundle of rage and guilt, still trying to come to terms with the murder of his last partner.
When a human woman is murdered in werewolf territory under suspicious circumstances, Ethan is reassigned to worked the case with Clanahan in the hopes that he’ll be able to balance out the wolf’s rougher edges.
Too bad they mostly just rub each other the wrong way.

This is the first of three books in the Blood & Bone Trilogy.

DISCLAIMER This work contains language and sexual content that may not be suitable for readers under 18. This work contains sexual MALE/MALE content. Not your cup of tea? Don’t read it. Otherwise, please enjoy.

https://books2read.com/Duality

Bloodraven by P.L. Nunn

I will claim it’s red… a little red at least. This is as dark as I’m willing to go. If you like cute, light, fluffy, and happy, this isn’t the book for you. Here is graphic rape, a lot of graphic violence and cruelty. I love it, but it also makes me question my sanity. 

A son of a forest dwelling people, Yhalen knows little of the world outside the ancestral forest, until he is captured by a band of ogres on a slave-taking mission. Only grim tales of the barbaric giants had reached the forest, but Yhalen soon learns that even the darkest fireside story only hinted at the brutality of these Northern warriors. He discovers the meaning of true fear at their hands, and only the awakening of ancient magic saves him from destruction.

Surviving ogre viciousness, he finds himself given to Bloodraven, the half ogre, half human war leader as a slave. Yhalen, refusing to bend, soon pays the price for offending prickly ogre pride.

But Bloodraven is no mindless, violent ogrish beast. Bloodraven has an agenda and Yhalen finds himself drawn in the wake into human and ogre politics, into bloodshed and cruelty and into the forbidden magic that is damnation in the eyes of his own people, but which might mean the difference between death and salvation.

https://books2read.com/Bloodraven

Bone Rider by J. Fally

Awesome! Just awesome. Mobsters and aliens and cowboys. What else could you want?!

Riley Cooper is on the run. Misha Tokarev, the love of his life, turned out to be an assassin for the Russian mob, and when it comes to character flaws, Riley draws the line at premeditated murder. Alien armor system McClane is also on the run, for reasons that include accidentally crashing a space ship into Earth and evading U.S. military custody. A failed prototype, McClane was scheduled for destruction. Sabotaging the ship put an end to that, but McClane is dubbed a bone rider for good reason—he can’t live without a host body. That’s why he first stows away in Riley’s truck and then in Riley himself. Their reluctant partnership soon evolves into something much more powerful—and personal—than either of them could have imagined.

Together, they embark on a road trip from hell, made all the more exciting by the government troops and mob enforcers hot on their trail. Misha is determined to win Riley back and willing to do whatever it takes to keep him safe. When hitman and alien join forces, they discover their impressive combined potential for death and destruction. It will take everything Riley has to steer them through the mess they create.

https://books2read.com/BoneRider

Yakuza Pride by H.J. Brues

While on the topic of Mobsters… I reread this not too long ago. It’s a bit violent, but the yakuza often are, are they not?

When yakuza underboss Shigure Matsunaga meets Kenneth Harris at a boring social event, he’s surprised to find himself attracted to the blond gaijin with the mismatched eyes. Shigure is even more pleased when he discovers Ken not only speaks Japanese fluently, but is fluent in Japan’s ways, even the more violent of the martial arts. Ken’s expertise at kendo is not his most striking quality—it’s the passion beneath his quiet, almost fragile exterior that ignites Shigure’s lust, and the two come together as explosively as they spar.

Shigure is a dangerous man in a dangerous position. He’s been trying to keep the peace with the Daito-kai—his hated rivals—but the danger on the streets is escalating, threatening those Shigure most wants to protect. He may claim to love his gaijin, but before he can keep Ken safe, Shigure will have to overcome hostility from his people, a hidden enemy, and, the most insidious opponent of all, his own hard-won pride.

https://books2read.com/YakuzaPride

Blind Space Marie Sexton

Space ships and underwear kink. Why not?

Captain Tristan Kelley enjoys the luxuries of Regency service, as well as the pleasure of his Prince’s bed. It’s an easy life, if not a happy one. When the Prince decides to take a trip through the perilous Blind Space, Tristan must go with him, but somebody in the Prince’s guard is a traitor.

Blind and held prisoner, Tristan finds himself at the mercy of Valero, a pirate who bears no love for the Regency. Valero is determined to seduce Tristan, and Tristan fears his resolve won’t last. His duty is clear, but so is his desire.

As the days tick by with no word or ransom from the Regency, Tristan begins to question what loyalty means to his Prince, the Regency he’s sworn to, and to the man who holds him captive. He begins to realize that being a prisoner may actually set him free.

https://books2read.com/BlindSpace

Measure of Devotion by C. Faron

It’s many, many years since I read this, and it’s not my typical read, historical BDSM, social differences, and I wanted to hate the MC, I really did. But… I went ahead and read the second book in the series directly after, and if you know how I normally handle series, that’s high praise.

Jason Wadsworth is finally headed to university. Leaving behind his father’s cattle ranch in favor of the posh, gaslit streets of Perdana, Jason is determined to climb the social ladder and forget his country roots. If only his father had gifted him with a more upscale slave.

Kale’s been a country slave his whole life. All he wants is to keep his head down and live as comfortable an existence as possible. Unfortunately, his dramatic master despises him and makes life difficult at every turn.

Humbled by his first breakup, Jason grows to appreciate his ever-faithful slave and soon discovers that Kale is everything he’s ever wanted. Now he needs to prove to Kale that his love is genuine.

Kale, meanwhile, tries to convince himself that he simply feels the devotion of a slave to his master, but his actions prove what his mind is unwilling to accept: he’s falling in love. When Jason’s future happiness is in jeopardy, Kale sets himself on a course to make Jason’s dreams come true, even if it means facing up to the fact that, for the first time in his life, he loves someone else more than he loves himself.

Measure of Devotion is a bittersweet love story set in an alternate world and contains sexual content and adult language.

https://books2read.com/Measure-of-Devotion

One Bite With a Vampire by Louisa Masters

This is the second story in the series, and you should read the first one before you grab this to better understand it, but I wanted it on the list. I raved about this series last month, so I’m not gonna now, but… awesome 😁

Getting kidnapped was never part of my life plan. But being rescued opened up a whole world of crazy.

It’s not easy being the only human at the Community of Species Government—and especially not when you’re the rescue case. Two years ago, I was planning to go to college, have a wild time, then settle into a normal life. Instead, I was kidnapped, spent months being a test subject, was in hiding for nearly a year, and then found out that my whole existence is a science experiment conducted by the bad guys. It’s definitely time to reassess.

My rescuers at CSG have been awesome… mostly. They gave me a job, a home, and a support network. But the whole demons, vampires, shifters thing is not easy to get used to. Especially when one particular vampire makes me want to take up stake sharpening for a hobby. How can someone be over eight centuries old and have the maturity of a drunk frat boy?

The thing is, teenage mentality or not, Andrew is a fierce protector. With the bad guys still on the loose, I need someone like that on my side. Plus, did I mention that he’s not hard to look at? I could stare at him all day if only he never opened his mouth.

As we race to find my former captor before he can find me, life takes another twist and upends my world all over again. This time, though, I’m ready—after all, I’ve got an eight-hundred-year-old vampire at my back. What could possibly go wrong?

https://books2read.com/OneBiteWithAVampire

 

Camp Hell by Jordan Castillo Price

I’ll throw in a little PsyCops too since it was a few months since I last mentioned this series. Awesome! Though, to be honest, I haven’t read all books. I stopped when it was time for Crash’s story. I wasn’t in the mood, and I’m still not. I love Vic and Jacob though.

Victor Bayne honed his dubious psychic skills at one of the first psych training facilities in the country, Heliotrope Station, otherwise known as Camp Hell to the psychics who’ve been guests behind its razorwire fence.

Vic discovered that none of the people he remembers from Camp Hell can be found online, and there’s no mention of Heliotrope Station itself, either. Someone’s gone through a lot of trouble to bury the past. But who?

https://books2read.com/CampHell

Ego wall

Red covers? I don’t have many red covers. Around Seven is red, and I’ll throw in The Ruby Tooth too.