Wednesday 13 May 2015

Ride Episode 1 Awakening ( Puca Mates) by A.C. James - Blog Tour

RIDE: PART 1 AWAKENING
Author:  A.C. James
Ride: Part One - Awakening
Subtitle: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) 
(Puca Mates Short Book One) 
Series: Puca Mates

Description Part One:

PUCA MATES SHORT #1

*** This a NOT a full-length book. This novella is part one of a serial romance. ***

Felicity Forrest has the perfect job as an investigative blogger for Everyday Supernatural. This curvy girl gets sent to the Aran Islands to find out whether a púca shape shifter is responsible for the strange accidents haunting a construction site.

Niall O’Leary is tall, broody, and totally alpha. His mission is to discover why the veil between the human world and the Realm has lifted. And as the Chieftain’s son he must find a mate or his twin will be promised to a stallion he despises. He has a duty to his family, his clan, and a need for offspring. Otherwise the púca could become nothing more than folklore.

Passion and frustration ignite when a curvy human female tempts his inner stallion like no other. There’s only one problem... She just got out of a relationship that left her broken hearted. Is she ready for a second chance at love?

Reader Note: This book is for those who are 18+. It contains explicit language, sexual situations, and one helluva cliffhanger. However, if you like curvy shifter romance, a stallion who can’t resist his curvy woman, and a dash of humor, then this is the story for you. Please read these installments in order. Enjoy!

Puca Mates Series/Serial Reading Order:

Ride: Awakening – Part One
Ride: The Bet – Part Two
Ride: Out Cold – Part Three
Ride: The Veil – Part Four


Buy Links:

  Amazon CA  


Review:

Ride by A.C. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ride (Puca Mates) Book #1
by AC James

Ride is one of the newest shifter books I've read recently, AC James is a fantastic author and I am really excited to read the rest of books in this series.

I have rated this Ride a 5 star rating, I loved the idea of Puca shifters, someting new and different. The story held my interested, made me laugh and it flows so well you are at the end of the book before you know it. I am really excited to read the next book in this series.

So if you love paranormal, shifters, romance and a great read this is the book/series to read.

Author Bio: 
A.C. James

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author A.C. James writes paranormal romance and erotica, including Eternal Ever After which was featured in the bestselling Spice Box anthology. She pounds out sexy scenes at her keyboard where romance is laced with horror in hot stories of vampires and bad boy werewolves. Her stories feature strong heroines and alpha heroes, with plenty of action, twists, and turns that will keep you turning pages.

A.C. resides in northeast Pennsylvania where she entertains her husband with her imaginative yarns and quirky sense of humor. She spends her time drinking large vats of coffee while taming two toddlers by day and writing by night. Recovering video game beta tester and tech geek who grew-up going to cons and watching SmackDown. There’s probably some cosplay pictures around somewhere of her dressed up as Bloodberry from Saber Marionette J. Just don’t tell anyone.

Some Random Facts About A.C. James (in case you were wondering or if you’re just really, really bored)

Favorite Fictional Characters: Buffy & Damon Salvatore

Eric Northman or Bill Compton? Eric Northman every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Favorite Films: The Princess Bride, Idiocracy, & anything with Paul Rudd or Seth Rogan. She also displays a weakness for musicals.

Television: The Walking Dead, True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, & Big Bang Theory

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Addictions: Coffee, Wine, & Sushi… Oh, and sometimes Tuaca or Sake. Hula hooping and singing to 80s songs in her minivan while no one is looking.

Memberships: The Pocono-Lehigh Romance Writers (Romance Writers of America Chapter 174)

What she likes to read?  She grew up reading the Choose Your Own Adventure series before graduating to L.J. Smith’s paranormal romance books long before television made the Vampire Diaries popular. Loves reading erotic romance, bdsm romance, and erotica. She’s a huge Tiffany Reisz fan girl. But who doesn’t love hot Catholic priests that are into BDSM?

Social Media Links


 Excerpt:

Chapter 1

A smile curved Felicity Forrest’s mouth when her cell phone rang and she saw the name that flashed across the screen. “Hello.”

“Are you ready for tomorrow night?” Cyn asked.

Felicity was taking the Tube back to her flat in London to get ready for a weekend with Cyn. Her friend planned to celebrate her birthday by getting utterly pissed and then getting laid. She’d encouraged Felicity to find someone too, regardless of her nasty break-up six months ago. Felicity wasn’t really over it, and didn’t plan on opening herself up to getting hurt again, but after all it was her best friend’s twenty-fifth birthday. The two of them had been friends ever since attending university together, so for her sake, she’d try to sound energetic and positive. Cyn kept going on and on about being a quarter of a century old, to which Felicity just rolled her eyes.

She wanted to grab a pint or two and go dancing, but Felicity had never been comfortable on a dance floor. On the outside, she projected a false confidence about her curves—she’d come to terms with the fact that she’d never be a tiny little tart—but dancing made her more aware of her size. And gyrating would only draw attention to her lack of rhythm.

“Right, it’ll be smashing.” Just because Felicity didn’t enjoy her way of celebrating didn’t mean she’d ruin it for her friend. She wasn’t an out-and-out liar, but little white lies were always good for sparing the hurt feelings of a friend, weren’t they?

“Rubbish! Don’t lie to me.”

Felicity sighed. Unfortunately, Cyn almost always knew when she wasn’t telling the truth. It defeated the purpose of filtering those little nuggets that Felicity knew would sting. She wondered why she hadn’t learned by now that it was easier to be honest, even when it hurt like hell.

“It’s just… You know that I don’t dance.”

“How long have I known you?”

She could see where her friend was going with this. They’d had countless conversations about Felicity letting her hang-ups get in the way, but right now an emotionally draining break-up was making her edgier than usual.

“For a long time, and you know I bloody love you too, but I don’t relish the idea of bouncing my bum around and making a fool of myself.”

“Felicity, you’re stunning. I really wish you could see that. You sparkle on the inside and there’s nothing more beautiful than that.”

Felicity smiled even though Cyn couldn’t see her through the phone. She’d always hated that ‘beauty comes from within’ bollocks, but it didn’t sound so cliché when Cyn said it. And Cyn was the only one who knew how vulnerable Felicity could be about her body. It was easier to be a bitch to anyone else who made her feel like crap.

“I promise we’ll have fun,” Cyn said. “Besides how long has it been?”

“How long has what been?”

“How long has it been since you’ve been shagged proper?”

“As a matter of fact it was just the other night,” she fibbed. No need telling her she’d helped herself in the shower. Cyn would argue that it didn’t count at all.

“Right,” Cyn said, sounding totally unconvinced.

Felicity could picture Cyn rolling her eyes. “All right! Not since I broke up with William. Satisfied?”
“No, and neither are you. We should remedy that this weekend.”

Felicity wasn’t ready. Not bloody likely she’d be prepared to let someone into her bed, or anything else for that matter. She and William had been together nearly four years, and they’d lived together for three of them. She’d been the one to break it off with him, but that didn’t make it any easier.
When you’re with someone you’ve grown comfortable with, sometimes you overlook the bickering and fighting, because at least you have someone to take to weddings or introduce at parties. Someone who’d put up with your crazy family on Christmas. Although, he had made a total arse out of himself at the last family gathering.

And William never understood her job as a paranormal investigator and blogger for Everyday Supernatural. He’d called it a tabloid rag that wasn’t worth her time or talent. Most of the pieces she’d blogged were about cases that turned out to be anything but supernatural, but the few times she’d come across something that couldn’t be explained by a very real and human element were moments she’d never forget.

Felicity loved to discover the truth. Her job was certainly never boring, and the blog gave her an opportunity to travel. But her constantly being on the go wasn’t why they’d split up.

They’d been together long enough for him to see the vulnerable side that Cyn knew all too well. Except William used it to fight unfairly. Especially when he drank too much, which was more often then she cared for. Felicity could hardly stand to look at herself toward the end of their relationship, and to maintain any sort of self-respect she decided she wouldn’t stick around and let him make himself feel better by tearing her down. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she remembered their last fight—the one that had ended it once and for all.

“Felicity?”

“Sorry, I was distracted.”

“No you weren’t. You were thinking about that good-for-nothing shite that broke your heart. I swear I could kick him right in the teeth.”

Felicity laughed. Cyn always spoke her mind even if it wasn’t entirely appropriate, but at the moment she was glad her friend lacked a filter. “Then you’d be sitting in jail for your birthday, and what would be the fun in that?”

Cyn let out an overly dramatic sigh. “Right you are.”

“Is your sister coming out with us tomorrow night?”

“I asked her, but she and Jack are having dinner with his parents this weekend. It’s the first time she’s meeting them, so I forgive her lapse in sisterly duties.”

Felicity raised an eyebrow. “Sisterly duties?”

“Yes, getting me pissed for my birthday, of course.”

Felicity laughed, just as her phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was her boss. Cool air wafted past as the tram stopped and the door slid open at the stop before hers. A stream of people fled the crammed compartment while another multitude pushed past to take the place of the ones who’d departed.

“I’m going to have to let you go. I have a call coming in,” Felicity said.

“Speak to you later,” Cyn said before the phone clicked and Nathan’s voice sounded in her ear.

“Felicity?”

“Yes.”

“I have an assignment for you,” Nathan said around what sounded like a mouthful of food.

“Can it wait until next week? I’m taking Cyn out for her birthday. Remember?”

“I’m afraid not, and I’ve already made accommodations for you.”

“What’s the assignment?”

Felicity couldn’t help the excitement she felt bubbling in the pit of her belly. The adrenaline spike was a familiar sensation that always rippled through her whenever there was a new mystery to solve.

“There’s rumours of a púca haunting on Inis Mór. There’s a local priest who seems to be at the root of the story, and some real estate developer is building one of those golf resorts that are so popular on the mainland. I reckon he’s trying to take advantage of the island’s spectacular ocean view and the tourists that visit, but recently there have been accidents on the construction site,” Nathan said. “And it appears that a púca is to blame.”

She could hear the amusement in his voice. Likely it was some local behind the whole thing. There was usually a reasonable explanation, but their blog readers loved watching the story as it unfolded. Felicity would have to research this one. They’d received tons of reported ghost sightings, a fair share of vampires, and even claims about the true location of the Loch Ness monster, but she’d never heard of a púca.

“What’s a púca?”

“They’re shapeshifters that can take the form of horses, rabbits, or goats, but they always have black fur and glowing eyes. They can bring good luck, or they can be quite mischievous. I think this one is of the mischief-making variety, given the accidents that have been reported.”
“Accidents?”
“It’s harmless, really—just some missing tools and minor injuries—but it leads me to believe that someone really doesn’t want this resort to be built.”

Felicity sighed. That had been exactly what she was thinking as he relayed the story. Some of the initial excitement at the prospect of her new assignment deflated.

Not so supernatural after all.

“Why send me to investigate then?”

“The priest has been quite insistent about the local legend, and he sent an interesting photograph taken by one of the locals.”

“That’s nothing new. Isn’t there always some dubious photo that surfaces?” Felicity asked.
Everyday Supernatural had photographs sent to them all the time. Usually you could easily tell they’d been tampered with because of the sloppy photo editing.

Nathan laughed. “Right, but after examining this one we couldn’t prove that it was a fake.”
“I think I’ll take Cyn with me. We had plans, but she won’t be sore with me if I tell her we’re going on holiday.”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t think taking her to a remote fishing village for her birthday is quite what she has in mind.”

Felicity imagined he was probably smiling that goofy grin he always got anytime he talked about Cyn. He’d always been sweet on her, and although Nathan was her boss, he was also a friend. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that Cyn didn’t see him as anything other than a brother, so she changed the subject instead. Besides, Felicity had been to Ireland, but she’d never been to the Aran Islands and really didn’t know what to expect.

“So there’s not much for her to do while I’m investigating?”

“I suppose Cyn could sit at the pub and get pissed there just as well as she can here, but the island is only a few kilometres and about eight hundred people occupy it.”

Felicity wouldn’t mention that was plenty of people for Cyn carry out her birthday shagging mission.
“Well I won’t need to rent a car then.”

“No, you can cover most of the island on foot or rent a bike. You’ll fly into Shannon and from there take the ferry in Doolin to Inis Mór. I’ll make arrangements for Cyn too and email you the details later.”

“Thank you, Nathan.”

“Or I could always entertain her while you’re gone.”

Felicity loved her friend to pieces, but she also knew Cyn confused love with a lot of other things, like sex, or having a few good laughs. In their university days, sex seemed like an expression of rebellion. Pity the man that finally turned her head, because Cyn wouldn’t know what to do with love if she even tried. Poor Nathan had been in love with her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her, but she would only ever think of him as a friend. Felicity had tried to tell him gently. He just didn’t want to hear it, and so she side-stepped the issue whenever it came up.

“I’m sure you could, but I’d best start packing and tell Cyn I’m stealing her for the weekend.”

“Call me when you get there. Or after you talk to that priest.”

“I will.”

“Speak to you later,” he said before hanging up.

She immediately rang Cyn.

“Hello.”

“I know you had a different idea, but would you like to go to Ireland with me tomorrow? A holiday is a much better way to spend your birthday.”

Silence hung as Cyn considered her proposition.

“Why the sudden change in plans?” she asked.

“I have an assignment, but I promise that we’ll still have fun.”

“Will there be dancing?”

“It’s Ireland.”

“Mmmm. Then there’ll be hot Irish men that I can fu—”

Felicity cut her off. “Precisely my point. So what do you say?”

“I’m sure they’ve got plenty of pubs and I have no doubt that I could find someone I like well enough to bang.”

Felicity laughed. She knew Cyn almost as well as Cyn knew her. That had been exactly what Felicity had figured her friend’s response would be when Nathan mentioned the remote locale. “Okay, so it’s settled then.”

“Quite. What’s the assignment anyway?”

“Apparently, there’s a púca haunting.”

“What’s a púca?”

Déjà vu.

“Some sort of shapeshifting horse.”

Felicity could tell she was trying really hard not to laugh. And in truth, if she ever had to tell anyone other than Cyn that she was going to Ireland to look for a shapeshifting stallion, they’d probably look at her cock-eyed. Finally she arrived at the Shoreditch High Street station, which marked yet another unlucky piece of real estate that had been hipsterised and filled with a tribe clad in skinny jeans that would never look good on her. But at least the rent was affordable.




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Friday 1 May 2015

Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One by Sarah Mäkelä


Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One

Sarah Mäkelä


Genre: New Adult Post-Apocalyptic Shifter Romance
Publisher: Kissa Press LLC
Date of Publication: April 28, 2015


Book Description:

Werewolf relationships are all about influence and offspring, especially as they are becoming extinct. But Carmela Santiago resents that type of life. She dreams of falling in love, not following the example her parents have set.

When sensual vampire Derek Ashmore rescues her from dangerous hunters, she tumbles head over heels for him. Not a wise decision since werewolves and vampires are mortal enemies.

Meeting her caring mate-to-be Brendan Kelly has her further questioning the future. Regardless, her life has forever changed now that she’s met not one, but two men who pull at her heartstrings...

Excerpt:

Bullets peppered the big screen of the Teatro de la Noche. Screams rang out around me, and I dropped to the floor, pulling my cousin Chandra down with me. Tension ached in my shoulders, and my heart pounded in my chest like a trapped animal, desperate to escape.

Gunpowder stung my sensitive nose, but through the overpowering scent, I caught a whiff of a hunter heading our way. “Chandra, we have to move.”

If Chandra and I didn’t get out of here we’d end up dead—or worse, test subjects for the Cazador—human hunters ordered to scour the land of nocturnes by the plutocratic government.

“How? They’re all around us.” Chandra peeked over the seats before dropping back down beside me. “A few of them are chasing down those who ran from the first assault, but two more are heading straight for us.” She ran a manicured hand through her honey-brown hair, which was only a shade darker than my own. “Come on. I have a plan. Let’s try to sneak out the side door.” She crawled in the opposite direction, down the row of seats.

The sight of my cousin’s butt cheeks hanging out of her short skirt filled my vision; some things were better left unseen. I lowered my gaze, particularly since Chandra had forgone panties. She almost always held herself with an air of power and purpose. Perhaps that’s what it took to get attention from other werewolves. Chandra got it in heaps, but her lower social status stopped a lot of relationships.

While it was a horrible time to second-guess my modest fashion sense, I couldn’t help wonder if I should take a lesson from my cousin. My own blouse and dark blue jeans had much less pizzazz. But I doubted my father would allow me to dress like Chandra; we had a privileged image to uphold.
I bit my lip, struggling to turn my thoughts back to the problem at hand. This was all too much. How could we get out of here unscathed when the roar of gunfire continued to close in?

We reached the end of the aisle. Chandra moved to glance over the seat, when a shout came from the opposite end, startling us both.

“Run, Chandra!” I barely kept my voice to a whisper.

She sprinted toward the bright red exit sign at the front of the theater, and I chased after her, trying to keep my pace natural though her long legs made it challenging. Maybe if they suspected we weren’t nocturnes, they’d leave us alone.

The stomping of heavy boots on the theater’s plush carpets said otherwise. Then again, they weren’t opposed to taking their fellow humans down too. The very rich in power thrived on oppressing those less fortunate. What better way to keep the populace down than to have their thugs strike whenever possible.

“We should split up.” Chandra shoved a heavy trashcan in front of the door, but that wouldn’t be much of an obstacle to the pseudo-military bastards.

“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “No way. If we do that, we’ll—” The trashcan scraped the cement as the hunters tried to open the door. Maybe she was right. If we were together, there was a better chance of them catching us both. Alone, we might survive the night.

I nodded to her, and we took off in opposite directions down the alleyway behind the Teatro. The door slammed open, smacking the wall hard, as I turned the corner and headed toward the main street. I had to find somewhere to hide out before the hunters spotted me again.

In front of me, another group of Cazador chased a few werewolves down the main road. I slowed to keep my distance from them, but if I didn’t get somewhere fast, they were going to catch me. Ugh. As much as I loved getting out of the house and going to the movies, I wished I’d listened to my instincts tonight and stayed home.

Two sets of feet pounded the sidewalk behind me. Perhaps they’d spotted me before I reached the corner.

I picked up speed a little, pumping my arms as I struggled to keep to a human speed while staying out of range. The temptation to race through the streets nearly drove me to action, but I glanced back, seeing my pursuers for the first time.

One of the men had greying hair and a rounded belly, which explained the slower, heavier footfalls, while the other guy appeared younger and super-athletic. No wonder I was having trouble getting away. If he hadn’t been so scary, he might’ve been attractive. Pure masculine aggression raged through him, tensing his shoulders as his gaze focused solely on me, his prize. Each man carried a large-caliber handgun. I was just glad they were too busy running to try to shoot me...for now, at least.

My sandal hit an uneven patch of concrete in the sidewalk. My body lurched forward, but I caught myself before I could go down. I should’ve been paying more attention to the street. Up ahead on the opposite side of the road, I spotted a dark alleyway running alongside a row house. If I cut through, I could safely turn up the speed without exposing myself, and lose them.

The older hunter slowed; his breathing had become increasingly labored. He cocked his revolver’s hammer, and I darted across the empty road, making a beeline for the alley. The last thing I wanted tonight was to see Dr. Matthews. Just a little bit farther. A bullet smacked the ground at my feet, hitting me with fragments of pavement. I bit back a yelp, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing my fear.

“I got this one, old kook,” the younger hunter grumbled, and his footsteps slowed too.

Another gunshot pierced the hazy night air. White-hot pain rocked my shoulder, nearly toppling me to the ground. I screamed, unable to hold it in, and picked up speed, no longer caring if I appeared human or not. The faint creak of a door barely registered before a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, jerking me inside the dark row house.

My rescuer softly shut the door, careful not to make a sound, and shoved a hand over my mouth. “Sshhh,” he whispered. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe.” His voice was deep, with an English accent. He pulled me away from the door and hunched down in the darkened room, holding me close, waiting and listening.


Purchase Links


About the Author:

NYT & USA Today bestselling author Sarah Mäkelä loves her fiction dark, magical, and passionate. She is a paranormal romance author, but she’s written all over the romance spectrum with cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy...even a sweet contemporary romance!

A life-long paranormal fan, she still sleeps with a night-light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books, watches scary movies (and Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games with her husband. When she gets the chance, she loves traveling the world too.


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