October Spice | K.L. Noone

It’s October so we need some October Spice, do we not?  This little short story by K.L. Noone is filled with autumny scents and flavours.

I admit having a weakness for stories with bakers, cake decorators, pastry cooks and so on. I tried writing a story about a baker once. Or I did write one,  but it’s hard knowing what everything is called on a language that isn’t your own. And cinnamon rolls for me aren’t what cinnamon rolls are for an American – frosting?! WTF people? LOL

But reading a story and writing one are two different things, and here, I was swept away by cinnamon pumpkin cupcakes, chocolate whiskey cakes, butternut squash bread. So I came for the cakes and stayed for the meet-cute, floury fun.

Evan is a baker who is in his bakery, on a day when they’re closed, to bake a cake for his friends. A customer knocks on the locked door, and after having communicated with the customer through the window, Evan lets him in.

Sparks, mixed with sugar and spice, fly.

This story is just 14 pages long, but it’s oh so cute.

books2read.com/OctoberSpice


October SpiceEvan Goldman loves fall, October, and Halloween. He’s decorated his bakery, he’s made cinnamon-pumpkin cupcakes, and he’s spending his day off inventing a new cake recipe. He isn’t expecting customers, and he’s busy with chocolate and ginger.

But a delivery mix-up has a customer knocking at Evan’s door. Matt’s right out of Evan’s fantasies: a deliciously adorable off-duty firefighter who compliments his cupcakes and makes Evan smile, and looks at him like Evan’s the tastiest treat of all.

They’ve only just met, but Matt might bring all of Evan’s fantasies to life … with extra spice.

A – Z | Until Next Time

Until Next Time by Xara X. Xanakas

I had forgotten Xara X. Xanakas. When I was a newbie (I still consider myself a newbie, though I’m starting to realize that, maybe, I’m not?) Xara was active. I’ve read a few of her books, and I especially remember The Party Boy’s Guide to Dating a Geek which is filled with cute geekiness LOL.

So, having read Villian from the Love’s Landscapes event, I figured I’d check for a story starting with a U and when there was a book from the LL event starting with a U,  written by Ms Xanakas, I figured it was meant to be.

I searched for her, thinking maybe it’s just that she’d disappeared from my feed, but no, she hasn’t posted anything on her blog in years and there haven’t been any new releases. Until Next Time is still available through Goodreads, though.

True to my nature, I didn’t read up on what this book was about, and I’m glad I didn’t because I might not have read it if I had. It’s a BDSM (bondage) story, a cop and thief story…and I liked it a lot!

I do have my pet peeve I just can’t get rid of – speech tags!!! Why oh why? LOL – but apart from that, I enjoyed this a lot. It’s cute and funny, filled with cat and mouse games, and I loved the way it ended.

Get it here!

And that, people, was the end of it. Or should I say until next time? The A-Z Title Challenge is complete! Are we moving on to Halloween stories now?


Until Next TimeDear Author,
Fuck, this was supposed to be such a simple assignment. Get in, get the information and get the hell out. It should have been a piece a cake but I just couldn’t resist getting a closer look at the guy. There’s just something about him that sets me on edge. He was prey that I enjoyed stalking. Whether to kill or fuck I wasn’t sure. How the hell did he get the upper hand? Instead of being the predator I’m suddenly the prey. I may be bound, but I’m never helpless. It seems I may have finally met my match, and I’m going to enjoy teaching him a lesson he’ll never forget.


A-Z Title Challenge 2020

A – All I See

B – Bearly Dating

C – Champagne Kisses

D – The Dark Horse

E – Everybody in the Place

F – Food for Thought

G – A Gentle Shove of Human Kindness

H – Howl

I – I Will Meet You at Asphodel’s Pit

J – Judgment

K – Killer Cassava!

L – Landslide

M –Misunderstanding His Mate

N – The Night Porter

O – Out For Delivery

P – Purrfect Harmony

Q – Quill Me Now

R – Roaming Canisters

S – Set Up

T – Tentacles with Benefits

U – Until Next Time

V – Villains

W – Words

X – Xavier

Y – Your Cover’s Blown

Z – Zippadacious

I started a Pinterest board for M/M books sorted by title, if you need help finding a title on a certain letter.

Cover Reveal | Soul Eater

Can you guess what showed up in my inbox this morning? A cover!

Soul Eater is a 51k long paranormal story about  Sandulf Hunter, a dead werewolf, and Thaddeus Ezax, a useless mage – or so he believes. He comes from one of the most powerful mage families in the world, and yet he’s never been able to do even the simplest spells a mage is supposed to do. Things aren’t always what they appear to be, though.

Thad is a detective working in the Paranormal Investigations Department. He and his colleagues are trying to catch a serial killer, but when Thad comes across a spirit trapped in a skull, his life changes forever.

As he rounded a corner, he came into the main cavern. Table after table were filled with anything a magic user could need. Herbs, potions, knives, stones, and a lot of things he didn’t want to acknowledge.

The howl of a cat in a cage had blue sparks rain from his fingertips, but he tried to suppress it as he hurried past the market traders.

Pickering had the last table in the row—of course, he had. By now, Thad should have learned nothing ever went quick and easy. He held his breath as he stopped by the table.

“Thaddeus.” Pickering had short, red hair, and his face was filled with freckles.

“Einar.” Thad nodded at him.

“What can I do you for? Looking for a familiar?” He grabbed a cage with the largest toad Thad had ever seen.

“Ah… Eh… no. I was wondering—”

“A love potion?” He held up a tiny, red flask with a skull painted on it, and Thad almost laughed.

“No, thank you. Have you heard about—”

“Shrunken head?” He bent down behind the table.

“No!” Thad hoped he didn’t have a shrunken head back there. Could he ignore a shrunken head or did he have to report it at work? If a raid came out of his visit here, he’d be hunted for the rest of his life, and he did not want the wizards running the largest black market for miles and miles at his tail.

“This then?” Pickering tossed something at him, and Thad caught it. A buzz spread into his fingertips as he held up the…skull. Swallowing hard, he studied the sharp canines. The dog must’ve been massive when it had been alive.

“W-What is it?”

Pickering looked nervous as he leaned in closer and lowered his voice into a whisper. “Werewolf skull, very powerful. But I guess it’s wasted on you, mage.”

Werewolf? Was someone killing werewolves now or was it an old skull? Thad swallowed hard.

“Yes.” Why did it buzz? Thad was a mage, everyone in his family was a mage. Spirits meant nothing to him.


souleater

Detective Thaddeus Ezax is in over his head. He’s the only wizard in Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department, and it was his name that got him the job. The Ezaxs are known as some of the most powerful wizards in the world, but Thaddeus isn’t your average Ezaxs. Is it any wonder his family shuns him?

When a kidnapping case is dropped into his lap, Thaddeus must act fast. While most five-year-olds can cast a location spell, Thaddeus can’t and is forced to get creative. When he finds himself in possession of a black market werewolf skull with a ghost trapped inside, accidentally releases the spirit, and somehow forms a connection with it, things get even crazier.

Sandulf Hunter doesn’t remember dying, but he remembers the last thing he saw before everything went black—a wizard. All wizards must die! The only problem is, the wizard standing next to him smells too damned good, so good Sandy thinks he might have to keep him.

And since wherever Thaddeus goes, Sandulf finds himself yanked along, he might not have a choice in the matter anyway.